LONG GROVE, Iowa -From ground level, it looks like a typical corn field on Friday, June 8.
But fly high with the News Eight drone, and magic starts to happen.
"We take a drone up so we can see how the corn is growing," said Pat Dierickx, Pride of the Wapsi. "See how the pathways are coming along."
Dierickx is glad to see the 2018 StormTrack 8 Corn Maze start to take shape at his farm, 14600 305th Street in Long Grove.
While the plants are about a foot tall, they'll rise from eight to 12 feet tall by the time the maze debuts in late September.
"You can see some spots are open," he continued. "We're hopeful that the maze was planted and cut, so to speak, all at one time."
From the air, it's possible to see some features start to appear. It's a remarkable mix of technology and farming. It will offer practical challenges and lessons for families to enjoy.
"Everything we do is about education," he said. "When people go through our maze, we're going to have checkpoints that will allow them an opportunity to be educated."
Corn will really start to grow in coming days. That will allow this work in progress to fill in across the farm's 6.2 acres.
"This is unbelievably cool, utilizing technology available to farmers today," Dierickx concluded.
It's a view from Pride of the Wapsi that's improving each day.
For more information about the farm: http://prideofthewapsi.com