Kelvin Fletcher has described creating the first maize maze on his Cheshire farm as a gamble, as he and his wife Liz cut into a four-acre field they could otherwise have sold for profit.
In the latest episode of ITV's Fletcher's Family Farm, the couple hope the visitor attraction will bring in more money than selling the crop. Kelvin admitted the venture left him feeling nervous and led to a disagreement over whether they were following the design correctly.
A risky venture on the farm
Explaining the plan, Kelvin said: "We have a design of our maze. All we need to do now is cut it out of our four-acre field. Simple, right? I'm feeling a little bit nervous, but we'll be all right. Liz looks very confident, and when Liz looks confident, it reassures me."
He added: "Cutting maize that we could sell for a profit is a risk, but an event could give us a much bigger return. So we're rolling the dice and creating our very first Fletcher maize maze."
As work got underway, Kelvin questioned Liz's approach, telling her: "You look like you just make it up as you go along." Liz replied: "I'm not. I'm looking at the map." Kelvin continued: "You're making it up as you go along, aren't you? Seriously, this is important. I don't want to sound like a broken record, but there is a lot at stake here, and I just want to make sure we're getting it right."
Struggling with cutting the crop
Speaking to the camera, Liz said: "My biggest problem is Kelvin. He's always my biggest problem." As he continued mowing, Kelvin admitted he was struggling with cutting down a crop they had worked hard to establish.
He said: "I'm wrestling with this because you've spent so long wanting the crop to get up and get established, to then ride through it on a tractor with a mower. You're just butchering it, you're ruining it, and it just doesn't sit well with me. But obviously, we have to do this to create the maze, like every first on the farm; this is a gamble. But even with a few nerves, we're committed."
The couple then faced another setback when sheep escaped from their field, forcing them to pause work and round up the flock before adding the final swirls to the maze. Once the sheep were back in their field, Kelvin and Liz completed the maze and were delighted with the result.
Bull sold at auction
Elsewhere in the episode, the couple sold their bull Ezra at auction for £1,180, with Kelvin hoping the proceeds would help build their herd. Liz admitted the demands of farm life had left her with little time to process his departure.
She said: "I've not really had much time to process it because although I knew it was coming, you're just sometimes so busy getting on with life that now we're here and I feel like I've not said my goodbyes, but hopefully we'll do well."
Kelvin was pleased with the sale price, saying: "It's great, very happy. I think that's tremendous." Fletcher's Family Farm airs on Sunday at 11.30am on ITV.
