In September the department helped advertise a fall festival at Charles Black's farm in northern Utah - but left out at least 10 other farmers who have opened similar attractions.
Charles Black needed more help than the department was able to provide. When he opened a corn maze, he learned that the most expensive obstacle was finding liability insurance.
"At first we couldn't even find a company," Black said. "Then the only policy we could get was one for around $2,000, and it had to be for the entire year rather than the six weeks when we have the festival."
Agricultural commissioner Leonard Blackham acknowledges other states have passed legislation to help with less-expensive liability coverage and says that it could be a possibility in Utah, as well.
"There hasn't been an interest from farmers and ranchers or a demand from the public for agritourism destinations," he said, "but the interest and momentum is building."
Utah Farm Bureau CEO Randy Parker said more farmers and ranchers would offer corn maze attractions but insurance costs are prohibitive, and so far there's no centralized location they can go to for information.
When Cameron Calder decided to cut a corn maze, he researched the Internet and worked with Draper City officials to obtain the proper permits. Advertising consisted of printing $1-off coupons and distributing them to local businesses.
"I had no idea how much time it would take and the money it would cost," said Calder, who is leasing one of the city's last farming operations.
In Perry, Paul Nelson attracts visitors to his corn maze by putting up a sign that can be seen from Interstate 15, close to his farming operation. Nelson said his family makes three times the income on the corn maze that a cornfield alone would generate.
And in Washington City, the Staheli family relies on word of mouth and local radio station support to advertise its fall festival. Last year, they attracted 15,000 visitors - mostly from Las Vegas.
Finding these destinations isn't easy.
The state's tourism office has posted about half the mazes on its Web site, Utah.com. The agriculture department has no such postings but does have information on local farmers markets and its Utah's Own program, which promotes names of state operations that grow, make and manufacture food products.
"It's matter of economic reality that if we're going to encourage working farms, particularly in urban areas, we ought to be facilitate ways to supplement the incomes of these land owners and eliminate restrictions they face," said Alan Matheson, executive director of Envision Utah, a group that helps Utah cities develop strategies to accommodate growth that's the equivalent of adding a city the size of Ogden each year.
dawn@sltrib.com
