Hanselman Corn Maze Provides Milk to Food Bank

Delaware County Dairy Promotion Team members were on hand to welcome visitors and help them answer questions about agriculture at Del-Rose Farm during Family Farm Day last Saturday. Pictured, from left are: Madelyn Eklund, Ambassador Lillian Eklund, Madison Losie andAssociate Ambassador Emma Smith

The large corn maze at Del-Rose Farm near the hamlet of South Kortright will be open this Saturday, Aug. 30 and next Saturday, Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to raise money to supply milk to the Delhi Food Pantry. The cost is $5 per person with under 4 free. Randy Post provided the photo.

By Liz Page

If you don't know Barb Hanselman, she is one of the best promoters of the dairy industry you will ever meet. This weekend, the Hanselman family, of South Kortright, opened up the doors to the barn and invited everybody down on the farm to get a taste of dairy farming and all the wonderful things they produce there.

Last Saturday was Family Farm Day, an agritourism event that has continued in popularity with events scheduled at farms in Delaware, Schoharie and Otsego counties. It "provides local farms and related businesses the opportunity to introduce current and new customers to diverse, high-quality products, generate farm-gate sales, build long-term customer bases, and share the ever-evolving farm ‘stories’ that keep the importance of agriculture in the public dialogue."

They tried something new at Hanselman's this year, they added a corn maze. "Keith McGrath was cooking toasted cheese and Mexican street corn samples for people to taste foods that our farm produces," said Hanselman. Everyone raves about their sweet corn and say it is the best.

Hanselman also chairs the Delaware County Dairy Promotion Committee and the dairy promoters were also on the farm to welcome guests and help answer ag questions that appear throughout the maze. Hanselman conducted tours through the barn.

It was Ladd Hanselman’s idea to do the maze and he did the job of carving a random maze through the huge cornfield at the farm.

FFD was just another day for Hanselman to promote agriculture and dairy. She thanks her family, friends and the dairy promoters for making the day such a big success. They put a bucket out for people to donate to “Fill a Glass With Hope,” an effort led by American Dairy Association North East to bring fresh milk to families in need. Visitors to the farm donated $340. The dairy promoters will coordinate with the Delhi Food Bank to donate and give out milk. While FFD is over, the corn maze will be open again this Saturday, Aug. 30 and next Saturday, Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day for visitors to try their luck in the maze. The cost is $5 per person, with under 4 free, and the proceeds from the additional maze dates will also be used to purchase more milk for the food bank. There are questions on signs scattered throughout the maze to provide a learning component as well. The question signs were loaned by Cornell Cooperative Extension.

While you are at the farm, playing in the maze, you might want to see what baked goods Hanselman has whipped up or find the sweet corn that everyone raves about along with other veggies at their farm stand. The farm is located at 9635 County Highway 18 just south of the hamlet of South Kortright.