Hops as an Alternative Crop

TODAY’S OBJECTIVE

BY THE END OF THIS PRESENTATION ATTENDEES SHOULD BE ABLE TO DESCRIBE:

• ESTABLISHING A HOPYARD

• CONTROLLING HOP PESTS

• MARKETING HOPS TO BREWERS

WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT!

Hops in MarylandHops were grown in Maryland since colonial days.

10 per cent of hops needed by Maryland Brewers were supplied by

local farmers

Craft Brewers Support Maryland Hop Growers

Establishing the Hopyard

Stillpoint Farm

Mt. Airy, Maryland

PREPARATION

SOIL TEST

GROUND PREPARATION

AQUIRE RHIZOMES/STARTS

HOPYARD DESIGN (ROW SPACING AND PLANT SPACING)

PLANTING

GROUND PREP

HOPYARD IS TILLED AND CULTIVATED

PLANTING - EARLY APRILPLANT RHIZOMES AT DEPTH OF AN INCH OR SO

IN WELLED TILLED SOIL 36 – 42 INCHES APART

BUILDING THE TRELLIS

• MANY CONFIGURATIONS

• TYPICALLY REQUIRES 40 -44 POLES PER ACRE

• POLES SHOULD BE 18 FEET ABOVE GROUND

• ROWS SHOULD BE AT LEAST 12 FEET APART

BUILDING THE TRELLIS

Black Locust is Plentiful in Maryland

Running Cables

Running Cables

STRINGING

STRINGINGWE USED ONE STRING PER BINE IN THE FIRST YEAR

NEW HOPYARD IN MAY

NEW HOP BINES

YOUNG BINE SHOWING BURS

FIRST YEAR CHINOOK HOPSREADY FOR HARVEST

HARVESTING AND

PROCESSING

FIRST YEAR HARVESTHAND PICKING – UGH!

DOES THIS LOOK LIKE FUN?

MECHANIZATIONFarm Built Harvester

Bines entering harvester Stripped bines coming out Harvester box full

MECHANIZATION

We can harvest 25 to 50 bines per hour with the combination of our harvester and sorter.

Bines loaded on harvester track

STRIPPED BINES

Farm Built Sorter and Oast

Farm Built Oast

• Adding and Stirring Hops

We fill the oastdirectly from the sorter in the same building. We can add heat and dry over several hundred pounds of hops in 4 – 8 hours.

PEST MANAGEMENT

AND WEED CONTROL

COMMON HOP PESTS IN MARYLAND

INSECTS:

• JAPANESE BEETLE

• APHIDS

• SPIDER MITES

• POTATO LEAF HOPPER

MILDEWS:

• DOWNEY MILDEW

• POWDERY MILDEW

KEEPING A CLEAN HOPYARD:

Targeted Grazing:Controlling weeds and

Reducing Disease Pressure With Sheep

Go From This:

To This:

Using These:

Instead of these:

Or these:

Spring Grazing

SUMMER GRAZING

SUMMER GRAZING• Leave sheep in the hopyard until a week or

two before harvest

• Harvest in Maryland is usually from late July through late August

• Gives time for leaves to grow back for nutrient return to roots for overwintering

Weeds Controlled by Grazing:

Red root pigweed

Thorny pigweed

Thistles

Leafy Sparge

Many other grasses and forbs that compete with your hops!

Your Favorite Weeds!

Bull Thistle Red Pigweed Spiny Pigweed

Canada Thistle

Reducing Disease Pressure with

Targeted Grazing

Downy Mildew Spike in Maryland

Reducing Disease Pressure With Targeted Grazing

Reduce Disease Pressure By:

• Keeping a clean, weed-free hopyard

• Stripping the lower 3 – 4 feet of leaves from the bines

• Removing shoots after stringing and training

Cautions:

•Pesticides

•Herbicides

•Fungicides

Read the Label!

• Sheep are susceptible to copper toxicity

• No copper compounds can be used in the hopyard

• No Bordeaux mixture

• No copper sulfate

DON’T WANT TO BE

SHEPARD?

COMMON WEED CONTROL

• ROUND-UP

• 2-4 D COMPONDS

• MECHANICAL

• ORANGE OR OTHER CITROUS OILS

• UREA SOLUTION

MILDEW CONTROL• KEEP A CLEAN, WEED FREE HOPYARD

• COPPER PRODUCTS SUCH AS BORDEAX MIX

• PHOSPHOROUS ACID PRODUCTS FOR MILDEW CONTROL IN VINEYARDS

• NEEM OIL

• THERE ARE NO COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS APPROVED FOR TREATMENT OF ANY DISEASE FOR USE ON HOPS IN MARYLAND!

MARKETING SO NOW THAT YOU HAVE YOUR HOPS, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THEM?

FARMER - BREWER RELATIONSHIPS

Get to know your local brewers!

Participate in local brewery related events

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8pEDe6wP0k

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES• UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT EXTENSION:

http://www.uvm.edu/extension/cropsoil/hops

• CORNELL EXTENSION SERVICE:

http://madisoncountycce.org/agriculture/hops-program

• NORTHEAST HOP ALLIANCE:

http://www.northeasthopalliance.org/