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In their first season of school tours the Beggs Pumpkin Patch attracted more than 3,000 children and others to their farm.
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- Missouri Watermelon Growers
Expand into Fall Fun
- By Karen Gentry
Associate Editor
- A recommendation of a seed representative motivated Sheila and Donnie Beggs to network with fellow farm marketers.
After observing that the Beggs were expanding from wholesale watermelons into pumpkins and fall gifts, the seed man suggested they join the North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association (NAFDMA).
“We loved it. We were amazed at the ideas they (NAFDMA) can give us,” said Sheila. The Beggs, now operators of Beggs Pumpkin Patch, Maize Quest - The Corn Maze Adventure and Beggs Melon Co. joined NAFDMA this year and journeyed to Arizona for the winter conference. While there, they hooked up with Hugh McPherson from Pennsylvania who is now providing them with services to create their first corn maze, the first in their area in Southeast Missouri near Sikeston. Sheila said they talked with other growers who use McPherson’s services and were impressed.
The Beggs selected the theme of “Wild West” for their 12-acre maze. McPherson’s designer came up with the design of a cowboy on a horse reared up with four steerheads in each corner, Sheila said.
Around the 1900s, Blodgett, the tiny town where Beggs is located, became known as the “Watermelon Capital of the World.” Their farm is located 150 miles south of St. Louis, Mo. and 150 miles north of Memphis, Tenn.
Their Maize Quest Adventure will take the shape of Bronco Billy in a living cornfield. Guests will walk through and explore more than 10,000 feet of pathways. They will help Billy gather the last four cows as they head to Dodge City. Along the way maze-participants learn about life as a cowboy or cowgirl on the open range. The maze goers must work together to navigate every section of the maze.
Beggs Pumpkin Patch and Maize Quest will be open Sept. 22-Oct. 31, seven days a week with varying hours. To promote the fall season they printed and distributed rack cards promoting the maze.
It was Tiger Scouts and their oldest son Taylor that inspired the Beggs to branch off from traditional farming. “A couple years ago our oldest son, Taylor was in Tiger Scouts. Each set of parents was to come up with and host some type of outing for the boys.
“You would have thought it was Christmas by looking at the eyes of those boys when they got off the wagons in the field to pick pumpkins,” said Sheila. This inspired them to open the farm to others.
Sheila previously taught preschool students and worked at a hospital. “I wanted to do something with children. I enjoy children,” said Sheila. She said the maze and pumpkin patch offer a family-oriented activity in their area of small towns that lacks big museums and events.
“Last season we started a new adventure, our ‘pick your own’ pumpkin patch,” she said. By the time the season was over they hosted more than 3,000 children and others on the farm.
Their goal this year is to attract 10,000 people. They hope to accomplish this through increased advertising. They had a float in their area’s Cotton Carnival where they distributed over 5,000 small pumpkins to children with a flyer to attract new visitors to their pumpkin patch.
Donnie has been helping on the farm since he was old enough to go on tractor rides with his father, Donald. He graduated with a degree in agriculture economics from the University of Missouri in Columbia and was a partner with his father in the company until he took over the entire operation in 1997. Sheila quit her full-time job as a registered respiratory therapist to help on the farm and raise their three children, Taylor, Shelby and Bryce. Donnie and Sheila represent the fourth generation on the farm. Donnie served as past president of the Missouri Watermelon Association and was selected in the past as the area’s Outstanding Young Farmer.
For more information call (573) 471-3879, or visit www.beggspumpkins.com, www.cornmaze.com
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