Whoever or whatever created a crop circle in the Funk family's field here last week caused about $500 in damage to the summer barley crop.
But if you're worried about the family recovering from this financial setback, don't. They've taken care of it.Since Monday, the Funks have made more than $600 by charging $1 per person to step inside the mysterious formation. Ashley Funk, the 14-year-old granddaughter of property owners Calvin and Carol Funk, has stood guard at the entrance to the field, 12 miles north of Logan on the east side of U.S. 91.
"We're paying her $5 an hour and she has a good time. She gets to meet a lot of fun people and sit under the shade and read Glamour Magazine," said the girl's father, Alan Funk. "She was out there Tuesday all day, from 7 in the morning till 10 at night without a break."
He said the family has made enough to pay for the damage, and Ashley will have enough to buy new clothes for her ninth-grade year at North Cache Middle School.
Funk said researchers who took samples from the formation would not allow people into the field Saturday and Sunday. Those researchers and Smithfield farmer Gary Hansen, who discovered a similar design in his barley field earlier last week, suggested they charge an entrance fee.
Did the Funks create the crop design to make money?
"Absolutely not," Alan said. "I've got too many other things I need to be doing . . .. I'm looking forward to when we can get the field cut and disk it under."
The Funks, who've posted signs along U.S. 91, have taken in $660 through Wednesday. They plan to keep the field open to the public for a few more days.