CFANS alumni turn getting lost into an art — and a business

When the air begins to turn crisp and cool, the leaves begin their autumnal show — that’s when Justin & Pam Brown’s farm really starts coming to life. Justin and Pam, both 2011 CFANS alumni, are the co-owners of Big Springs Farm in southeast Minnesota. The farm is an example of Minnesota’s agritourism industry, offering families the chance to pick pumpkins, cut their own fall flower arrangements, pet some goats, and enjoy a hayride, as well as a large number of  outdoor games and activities. 

Pam and Justin actually started the idea for their farm back when they were students in CFANS. During their time at the University of Minnesota, they studied abroad in Switzerland, learning about Swiss agriculture and how agritourism played a role in many of the farms they visited. Years later, when they moved to Justin’s family farm, they developed a plan for how agritourism could play a role in their farm.

Central to it all is their ten acre corn maze. Corn mazes are a relatively new, American convention. The first corn maze was created in Annville, Pennsylvania in 1993. It was the brainchild of Don Frantz, a creative director who’d been involved in Broadway productions and the Superbowl, and his friend Adrian Fisher. Don was inspired by looking out of a plane window at the orderly rows of corn below. Mazes themselves were nothing new, with carefully trimmed hedge mazes featuring elaborate European gardens, but the corn maze was a uniquely American idea. 

While the original corn maze was created by hand pulling corn out of a field, the Big Springs’ maze is a bit more complicated. For Justin and Pam, the process starts with conversations and ideas. They always want to find ways to tie the maze theme back to agriculture, their region, and the farm. Once they come up with an idea, they work with a corn maze designer who brings the idea to life. The design is transformed into a special file, called a shape file, that goes directly into their planter computer. The planter follows the directions of the file, only planting seeds where they want the corn to grow and skipping areas where the maze paths will be. Because they are using standard planter technology, actually creating the maze in the field takes no longer than planting a normal corn field. 

This year’s maze and fall festival is all about pickles. The couple found it was a creative way to tie in agriculture and a few new pickle items at their concession stand. They even have a 10 foot tall pickle sculpture for this year, affectionately called “The Big Dill.” They’ve had a lot of fun over the years with the themes. Justin’s favorite design was their 2023 maze full of emojis. Pam’s favorite was their first ever corn maze in 2021 called “Explore Bluff Country”. 

Farm life is still challenging with the pressures of weather and time. October is always incredibly busy, both with the agritourism side of their business and harvesting row crops. But it’s also a lot of fun - they love creating unique play features and watching families enjoy their time at the farm. Six years into running the business and they have proved it’s a good fit for their family and the area. Long term, the couple may consider hosting other events outside of their fall festival. 

But for now, they continue to grow every year, putting smiles on visitors’ faces and drawing people to their community. And you can be sure they are already chatting and coming up with ideas for next year’s maze. 

Big Springs Farm’s fall festival season runs from September 12 through November 1, 2026. You can learn more about Big Springs Farm on their website and Facebook page. 

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