By Debbie James

A Pembrokeshire livestock farm is maximising payback from the maize it grows as cattle feed by establishing a maze in the crop as a visitor attraction.

The Summons family have grown maize for many years as feed for finishing cattle from their beef suckler herd at Lower Green Farm, Waterston.

The crop is mostly harvested from mid-October but in the weeks leading up to that it stands tall while ripening.

The family spotted a diversification opportunity to boost its value in the gap.

They welcomed visitors to their six acre ‘maize maze’ last week after an official opening by Welsh comedian Rhod Gilbert.

It is now all hands on deck for Robbie and Debbie Summons, their children, Richard and Becky, Richard’s partner, Ros, and their grandchildren, Charlie and Henry.

The idea is one the family has contemplated for several years but finally decided to take the plunge this year.

There was much work to be done over and above the usual drilling of the seed, including many hours of hand hoeing and spray marking.

“Six of us spent five or six nights for six hours a time hoeing out the sections that were mapped on a grid,’’ explains Becky. “We got through 14 cans of spray paint!’’

The maize is now eight foot tall and is providing novel entertainment for visitors.

“Some people get from the start to the finish in 30 minutes but others take an hour and a half,’’ Becky explains.

It is a one-way system and there are markers to guide people, including letters to collect for an anagram with completed entries entered in a prize draw.

A wildflower patch has been sown for added interest and a picnic area created together with the opportunity to buy refreshments.

The maze is open on Fridays and weekends only as well as the August Bank Holiday Monday with pre-booking through Eventbrite to help the family manage traffic on the farm lane.

Once the maize has served its alternative purpose it will be harvested to feed the Limousin cross beef cattle this winter.