Maple Lawn Farms – Hugh McPherson

30 Dec 2022

You try to get out, but [behaviors] keep pulling you back.

Agritourism, Family Business, Maple Lawn Farms, Seasonal Business

What's on your list of behaviors to change? Do you have a list? You try to get out, but [behaviors] keep pulling you back. In Part 1, we first thought through the act of relieving our own sources of suffering. There is enough pain and challenge in the world. There is no need for us to create more for ourselves. This week, I'd like to consider behaviors. You might think it juvenile to discuss behavior when we're all adults, but upon deeper inspection, our behaviors, directly and indirectly, cause problems, problems that can be avoided. Behavior: noun. "The way in which one acts…

27 Oct 2022

Fear of missing out, when it’s real and when it’s not.

Agritourism, Family Business, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Seasonal Business

We've all felt FOMO. Sometimes it's real. Other times, it indicates something else is missing… For instance, if missing an event makes you feel like a particular group of people won't include you in their group - It's your internal lack of self-worth exhibiting as fear. If missing a business trip makes you feel like everyone else will get the sale, be better friends at the office or be more financially successful, that is STILL not a reason to go. It means you have a fear of being excluded. If you have a "fear of missing out" on time with…

17 Aug 2022

Fleeting beauty.

Family Business, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Seasonal Business

Beauty is all around us, in who we are, in how we treat people, in flowers, fields and farms. Fleeting beauty. It's got to come to an end at some point. Beauty is fleeting. Fleeting is defined as an adjective "lasting for a very short time." There is beauty in enduring artwork. You know, the kind you see in museums that stands the test of time and is unchanged. There is beauty in an incredible meal. You savor and enjoy, sometimes slowing down to prolong the experience, but it eventually ends. There is beauty in youth as understood in youth, but there is beauty in growing…

12 Aug 2022

“80 out of 130 years.”

Agritourism, Family Business, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Seasonal Business

"80 out of 130 years." I've sort of always felt like a kid. No matter what age, so far anyway, I feel like the world is new, and I want to explore it. My Dad just turned 80 on Aug 2nd. My Aunt Margaret, pictured next to him in the sunflower festival field, and I wanted to do something special, so we're working on a family timeline that will eventually be on display for you all to see in the farm market area. In that process, we found a deed for what we think is the 2nd farm purchased by a family McPherson…

31 Jul 2022

I took my eyes off the ball (or disc in this case.)

Agritourism, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Marketing Tools, Seasonal Business

Ouch. I took my eyes off the ball (or disc in this case.) If you've ever played sports, you've got a story like this: I was on a fastbreak across the field after dropping a short pass to our Ultimate Frisbee team's "Handler." Think of Adam as the roving quarterback to whom midfielders like me pass a catch until he can launch it downfield for a goal. I dropped him the pass, took off, cutting behind the player guarding me, and struck out across the field. Adam saw me and flicked the disc a little high, but right on the money.…

08 Jul 2022

Eyes to the sun.

Agritourism, Family Business, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Seasonal Business

Hey Technicians, Blueberries, peaches, apples, lavender, corn, and sunflowers all have eyes for the sun.In Genesis, God separated the dark from the light, which was the first move He made.Darkness and light, yin and yang, sleeping and waking, there is a balance between these forces of nature for a reason. Recently, the farm had been dry. Dusty country roads billowed out behind my truck as I drove to work from home. The sun shone brightly. It was hot. The sunflowers started tracking the sun, maximizing their exposure as I slathered on sunscreen and put on my floppy, wide-brimmed hat. Nearing the…

28 Jun 2022

Timing is everything.

Agritourism, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Seasonal Business

Hey Technicians, Have you ever struggled to make a project, relationship, festival, or crop/garden work out when you wanted it to, only to discover that when it finally came together, the timing was better than you had planned? Timing is everything. A joke told a minute too late doesn't land. A crop planted before the storm grows; planted late, it withers. Meet someone before you understand who you are, and you can't relate. Back to agriculture. Everything is an experiment, and growing plants at the whim of Mother Nature and the weather is always challenging. It requires a great deal of faith and willingness…

26 May 2022

Stop beating yourself up Part 2 – A big enough carcass on which to feed.

Agritourism, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Marketing Tools, Seasonal Business

The cheetah only sprints for 38secs per hunt - She either catches the prey or gives up in that amount of time. Stop beating yourself up Part 2 - A big enough carcass on which to feed. In sales (and we're all in the world of selling products, events, experiences, and food to people), they say, "You eat what you kill." Isn't that why we love this business? Our efforts directly affect our income. You are more profitable if you hold a great event, host a great wedding, launch an excellent tulip festival, and care for your guests. You went out and made the sale. You…

07 May 2022

Stop beating yourself up Part 1 – The Cyclical Nature of Motivation

Agritourism, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms

I never believed in work-life balance. Stop beating yourself up Part 1 - The Cyclical Nature of Motivation You gotta give 110% all the time. That is how I typically function, and if I'm not giving 110%, if there is any margin left, I must fill that time with something productive. At least that's what I used to think. That's what workaholics think. Any spare time is wasted time you have to "max out." Max out your finances.Max out your time at work.Max out your effort each day in the gym. Last few years, this started not to feel right. I think maxed out, always-on, and full-throttle…

01 Apr 2022

“Ice is unpredictable.”

Agritourism, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Seasonal Business

We had a legitimate winter, so I tried a new hobby my Minnesota farm friends recommended. Thought I was doing it pretty good! "Ice is unpredictable." It's a quieter time on the farm in winter. We finally get some downtime, and when visiting friends at farm conventions, I ran into some farmers with a pumpkin patch in Minnesota. They were a gruff old bunch, all bearded and taunted me as a 'soft Mid-Atlantic Boy' throughout the convention. I had had about enough, so I asked, "What makes you so tough up in the Land of Little Sodas anyway?" "Ice fishing.…