Corn Mazes, Cider and the Economics of Wisconsin Agritourism

Every fall, Wisconsin farms undergo a familiar transformation. Cornfields become mazes. Wagons roll through orchards and pumpkin patches. Farm stores fill with cider, doughnuts, preserves and enough decorative gourds to cover every front porch in the state.

For visitors, these are beloved Wisconsin traditions. For farmers, they are also a way to bring more people to the farm and create new sources of income.

Agritourism allows farms to make money from the experience surrounding agriculture, not just the crop itself. A family might buy tickets to a corn maze, take a hayride, pick pumpkins, grab lunch and leave with apples and cider. What began as one trip to the farm becomes several sales made directly to the consumer.

There probably aren't many visitors standing in line for an apple cider doughnut and thinking about revenue diversification, but the farmer probably is.

Wisconsin Agritourism by the Numbers

According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, over 600 Wisconsin farms reported income from agritourism and recreational services. Together, they generated about $20.8 million, averaging $31,187 per participating farm.

Even that figure does not tell the whole story. It includes activities such as farm tours, festivals, hayrides, hunting, fishing and overnight stays, but it does not fully capture purchases from farm stores, roadside stands and pick-your-own fields.

The admission ticket is only one piece of the business.

When the Experience Becomes the Product

At Treinen Farm in Lodi, the headline attraction is a 15-acre corn maze. Visitors can also explore the pumpkin patch, meet farm animals, hike, picnic or reserve a bonfire.

After more than 25 years, the maze has become a product of its own. The design changes every season, so returning families never get quite the same experience twice.

That is the appeal of a good agritourism business. A farm may sell a family one pumpkin, but a tradition can bring that family back every October.

The Many Lives of a Wisconsin Apple

Apple Barn Orchard & Winery in Elkhorn has remained in the same family for six generations. Originally a dairy operation, the farm began converting its land and buildings into an orchard business in the 1980s.

Today, visitors can pick fruit and pumpkins, browse the farm store and buy cider, baked goods, preserves and fruit wines.

One apple can be sold fresh, pressed into cider, baked into a pie, turned into preserves or used to lure the rest of us into a country store where we suddenly decide we need all four.

That is not accidental. It is a farm finding more value in what it already grows.

Adapting Without Leaving Agriculture Behind

At Schuett Farms in Mukwonago, agritourism grew out of a practical need to adapt.

Established in 1958, the family farm raised livestock and grew corn, soybeans and hay. As available farmland became harder to find, the family planted a few rows of pumpkins and began selling them from the front lawn in 1991.

Those rows eventually became pick-your-own fields, hayrides, a 12-acre corn maze and a full lineup of fall activities. Schuett Farms now sells sweet corn, vegetables, beef, hay and Christmas trees too.

The farm did not walk away from agriculture. It built more ways for agriculture to pay.

Bringing Families Back to the Farm

There is another benefit that does not fit neatly into an income report. Agritourism gives people a reason to visit a working farm and see where their food comes from.

Children can pick an apple from a tree, choose a pumpkin from the field or see cattle from a hay wagon. Farmers get to meet their customers directly and show them what goes into keeping a farm running.

Those visits can grow into lasting customer relationships. Someone who arrives for the corn maze in October may return for strawberries in June, sweet corn in August or a Christmas tree in December.

Wisconsin farms have always had to adjust to changing markets, rising costs and unpredictable seasons. Agritourism is one more example of farmers figuring out how to make what they have work harder.

The pumpkins, cider and hayrides are the fun part. The business behind them is what keeps the tradition coming back.

The cider and hayrides may feel like timeless Wisconsin traditions. The businesses behind them endure because farmers keep finding new ways to make those traditions work.