Did you know that the world’s largest corn maze is right here in our community? Foley is home to Stoney Brook Farms, with a 110-acre corn maze featuring 32 miles of pathways. If you’re looking for fun this fall season, look no further. Owner and operator Brad Chmielewski shared the stories of family fun behind the farm.
“Stoney Brook Farms was established in 2005 by my parents, Mark and Pam. Dad purchased the business from his Mother, Shirley, who, along with my grandpa Jerry, ran Jerry’s Farm Market in St. Cloud for almost 30 years. I’m an only child so it was natural for me to grow up working on the farm. We now farm almost 700 acres of vegetables and supply area grocery stores and wholesale warehouses.”
Stoney Brook hand picks all of their produce, which isn’t something you see nowadays. “I think that is really something to be proud of. We grow asparagus, snap peas, green beans, sweet corn, broccoli, hard squash, and all different kinds of pumpkins. I encourage folks to check the labels in the stores for “Minnesota Grown.” Locally grown doesn’t seem to be enough anymore. That radius keeps getting broader and broader. We support the MN grown network and I think it is an important part of our mission.”
“We decided to do the maze as an additional source of revenue for our farm and to invite the community to our farm to experience what we have to offer. We also have a pick-your-own pumpkin patch in the Fall at our Harvest Fun Days event. We do have a retail stand in the parking lot of the Copper Lantern restaurant in St. Cloud that we operate from late June through Labor Day. This is a great way to get fresh produce right from us!”
“The most exciting thing for me personally on the farm. is trying new things. We started growing broccoli this year and it turns out we are really great at it! We also started growing asparagus in the Spring and this has also been a great endeavor for us. By far the most exciting thing this year though has been trying to break the record for the 
World’s Largest Corn Maze. We have done the research and looked at all the other farms that “claim” to be the largest, but we have yet to see anyone get into the triple-digit acres on maze size. We ARE the World’s Largest Corn Maze in 2022!”
“Central MN has been the home to our farm for more than 3 generations. We love being part of this community and we appreciate, more than you know, all the support from the community. Whether that is coming out to pick a pumpkin at our Harvest Fun Days event or just simply grabbing some Stoney Brook Farms asparagus or sweet corn at the local Coborn’s store, it all adds up and we are so grateful for what Central Minnesota has given to our farm.”
To learn more about events and what you can find at Stoney Brook Farms, follow them on Facebook and TikTok. “Learn how we grow things and the process to do it, as well as other aspects of our farm, such as harvest and labor. We want folks to know where their produce comes from and what it takes to grow it.”
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