Maze Design Kits

Do-It-Yourself Professional Mazes For Farmers, Agri-Tourism Consultants, and Agri-Businesses

With the right combination of software, hardware and GPS you can create your own professional corn maze and save time and money. The Martens Farms Maze Design Kit enables you to make mazes in cornfields, wildflowers, bamboo or other crops as well as with hedges, straw bales, fences, walls and more. Martens Farms also provides individual assistance to help you use the system to create your first maze.

Software, GPS Receiver and Training to Create Your Own Cornfield Mazes

The Martens Farms Corn Maze Design Kits include everything you need to design and create mazes from corn fields - or any type of field for that matter. With these systems you can draw, trace or import your desired maze design, then use the included GPS receiver to cut that design out of your corn field or mark the paths to create.

We can also help you assemble your own custom maze toolkit by adding to precision farming equipment you already own.

Standard Maze Design Kit

The Standard Maze Design Kit from Martens Farms includes only the tools needed for cutting your maze. This package is for beginners who have no need to print maps of their maze, and prefer assistance to geo-reference the GPS field map with the maze design image.

• Includes an Phoenix 200 Smart Antenna . GPS receiver with 6-12 inch accuracy and 10 Hz updates, which is great for mapping and guidance, as well as yieild monitoring and spraying. This GPS receiver can be mounted to your mower, ATV or other vehicle for GPS mapping.

• Includes an HP iPAQ 2495 Pocket PC. Handheld computer with plenty of power, bright screen, two slots for compact flash cards or secure digital cards, bluetooth wireless capability, and many bundled general software applications including Pocket Word, Excel and Outlook.

• Includes ruggedized, water-proof, crush-proof, drop-proof, Otterbox 1900 Mount. This mount will protect your Pocket PC from dust and moisture when you’re mowing and/or mapping.

• Includes Farm Site Mate Basic Software. GPS mapping software that runs on the Pocket PC. This software will be used when you are cutting your maze design into your field. The software shows a picture of the maze on your screen with your current GPS position on top of the map. Simply use the map as a point of reference and follow the map as you go!

• Includes Geo-Referencing Service. Martens Farms provides one free map “calibration” to geo-reference a map of your maze (additional maps can be referenced for a fee of $100 per map).

• With the maze design kit you no longer have to worry about missing parts of the maze when cutting! Set the desired width and color for the paths that are drawn on the screen as you mow. This makes it easy to see which parts of the maze have been cut and which still need to be completed.

• Use the same setup when going back for follow-up cuttings. Again use different colors and line widths so it’s easy to know where you’ve mowed and where you’ve missed.

• Farm Site Mate Basic is the leading GPS mapping software that is used by more than 15,000 farmers world-wide for agricultural mapping, scouting and variable rate application. If you also farm, you can use this same setup to map field boundaries, tiling lines, rocks, soil sample locations and anything else you like. The software may also be upgraded for field scouting, guidance, variable rate application, and field recording.

• Would you like to know the total feet or miles that are covered by your maze? When you’re finished cutting your maze just tap on the maze and the software will tell you the total distance covered. Or when you map the field boundary it will give you the total acres or square feet inside the field.

• $2,249   $2,440 retail - you save $191
  

call 877.585.6761 to order

 

How The Standard Maze Design Kit Works

1. Draw the desired maze design by hand or in your favorite graphics program, or get a copy of your maze design file (.jpg, .bmp or.tif file) from your maze designer.

2. Take the Maze Design Kit (GPS, Pocket PC, Software) out on an ATV, 4 wheeler, mower or other vehicle and drive around the field you will use for the maze.

3. Geo-reference your image with the field you will be cutting the maze into.

4. E-mail or mail the image file along with the GPS file to Martens Farms.

5. Martens Farms will geo-reference your image for you so that it will work with the field and e-mail you back the file. We email your file within a week (typically days).

6. Copy the map to your Pocket PC and load it into Site Mate Basic.

7. Put the Pocket PC, GPS Receiver and mount onto your mower and start mowing! You will see your current position on top of the image of the maze. Lines will be drawn everywhere that you mow so you know exactly what you’ve covered and what still needs to be completed!

8. Use the same setup for subsequent follow-up mowings. Just use a different line color to make it easy to see!

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Professional Maze Design Kit

With the Professional Maze Design Kit you can take any image (such as an image from a maze designer) and easily geo-reference it yourself. Take the image to the field and start cutting the maze using GPS. The Professional Kit also includes useful desktop software for maze creation and printing mazes for posters, flyers, and other promotions. The ultimate kit for the ultimate maze!

• Includes all of the features from the Standard Maze Design Kit.

• Includes Farm Trac and Farm Site farm mapping and field record-keeping software for Windows desktop or laptop computers. If you also farm, this same software can be used to keep histories of your field activities with reports for the EPA, FSA, Crop Insurance and more. The mapping software can be used for reading in yield data from most major yield monitors along with soil type, soil test and other maps. You can also add software such as Farm Funds for accounting and Farm Stock for livestock records.

• Includes a full set of "CAD Style" drawing tools that can be used to draw your own maze.  Just bring in the GPS boundary of the field that you mapped and create your own maze!

• Includes "Image Processing Tools" for geo-referencing images.  If someone else creates your maze design, just have them give you the design in an image format (.jpg, .tif or .bmp).  Then take your GPS and find three coordinates in the field (such as corners of the field).  These coordinates are applied to the image to create a map that can be used with GPS (this can take the place of the “Geo-Referencing Service” offered with the Standard Maze Design kit).

• Display your map with free government road & waterway data so you can print maps that show directions on how to get to your maze.

• Add text notes to your maps so you can print creative maps with hints and notes of obstacles.

• Having problems finding the perfect field for your maze? Load free, government satellite imagery from the internet to see maps of any field in the United States. Use this imagery to trace different fields by hand to determine their sizes and shapes.

• If you get an aerial picture taken of your field (from a plane or helicopter), the software can be used to clean up the picture and print it with notes and other information.

• Customize your maps with logos, text and graphics and then print maps that can be used for posters, flyers and advertisements!

• Maps can be saved and used in other programs such as Word, Publisher, Excel, Photoshop and others.

• $2,849   $3,090 retail - you save $241
  

call 877.585.6761 to order

How The Professional Maze Design Kit Works

1. Take the maze design kit (Pocket PC, GPS and Software) out on a 4 wheeler, mower or other vehicle and drive around the field that you want to use for the maze. The program will display a GPS map of the field on the screen with all data saved to a file.

2. Take the Pocket PC back to the office and “synchronize” it with your desktop computer. This will bring the boundary into the desktop software.

3. Use the drawing tools in the desktop software to draw your maze inside the boundary of the field. By having a GPS referenced map of the field boundary, you can create the map so it takes advantage of every part of the field.

4. If someone else designs the maze for you, have them send you an image file (.jpg, .tif or .bmp) of the maze. Use the “Calibration” software that’s included with this package to apply GPS positions from the GPS mapped boundary of the field to the maze so it is GPS referenced.

5. Copy the map that you drew or the image you calibrated to your Pocket PC and load it into the software.

6. Put the Pocket PC, GPS Receiver and mount onto your mower and start mowing! Site Mate will show your current position on top of the image of the maze. Lines will be drawn everywhere that you mow so you know exactly what you’ve covered and what still needs to be done!

7. Use the same setup for subsequent follow-up mowings. Just use a different line color to make it easy to see!

8. Synchronize the maps that you create with GPS with your desktop computer so you can use these maps with your desktop computer software.

Options for Standard and Professional Maze Design Kits

• Rugged RAM Powered Cradle and Mount. Universal powered dock with clamp mount kit to mount iPAQ PDA and Invicta 115 Smart Antenna on your mower, atv, tractor or other vehicle. Provides power, protection, and stability for demanding in-field use.

• 512 MB Secure Digital Card. Data storage card for your data and programs on the iPAQ.

• Consulting and Training Services. Get up and running faster with one-on-one help from Martens Farms. We work with you over the phone or secure internet connection, and you get things done while learning to use the software and GPS receiver. Mazimize your productivity with this quick boost.

Customer GPS Rental Kit

The Customer GPS Rental Kit uses portable GPS systems to enhance the maze experience for your customers. Simply load your corn maze onto the Pocket PC and attach the GPS receiver. Now charge a rental fee. Adults and children are willing to pay for this technology because it is fun and educational.

You can even create special GPS-enabled games to add extra interest to your maze, encouraging repeat visitors. The investment will quickly pay for itself and boost your bottom line. This special can be purchased individually or by a pack of five.

Features of the Customer GPS Rental Kit:

• Includes a Transplant Compact Flash GPS receiver that is accurate to within 6 to 15 feet. This is an inexpensive GPS that is ideal for customers to use to see where they are in the maze.

• Includes an HP iPAQ 2190 Pocket PC. This is a standard Pocket PC that can be used for many other purposes. The Pocket PC includes a range of software such as Pocket Word, Excel and Outlook. This also includes a docking station that connects to your desktop computer via a USB port so you can synchronize maps and other data between the Pocket PC and your desktop computer.

• Includes Farm Site Mate Basic GPS mapping software that runs on the Pocket PC. This software will show a picture of the maze on their screen with their current GPS position on top of the map.

• The kit can be upgraded for $270 to include a ruggedized, water-proof, crush-proof, drop-proof, Otterbox 1900 Mount with CF Pod. This mount will protect your Pocket PC from dust and moisture your customers are finding their way trough the maze.

• Your customers who rent this kit will be able to view their location and path through the maze on-screen.They will also be able to participate in any GPS-enabled games you create. For example, one competition could include mapping the path they’ve traveled to see who can get through the maze in the shortest time and distance!

How The Customer GPS Rental Kit Works

1. Hook the Pocket PC to your desktop computer and copy your maze map to the Pocket PC.

2. Load the map as a background map.

3. Insert the small Compact Flash GPS into the Pocket PC.

4. Give it to your customers to use!

• $650 ea   $870 retail - you save $220
  $2,995 for 5
  

call 877.585.6761 to order

Help for Corn Maze Operators

Don't try to learn everything about running a maze attraction by trial and error - work with an experienced maze consultant who can help you with the many tasks to build and run a successful maze. Designing and creating the maze itself is only one part of the maze business.

Consider contacting your local agricultural extension service for advice to help you make the most out of your maze attraction. Many extension offices offer helpful information and assistance with agri-tourism or agri-entertainment endeavors. Some Agri-Tourism and Agri-Tainment consultants offer specialized exertise in planning, marketing and managing a successful maze business.

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