Laura Siegle Amelia County HOPS IN VIRGINIA Agriculture ... · Pick by hand 1 hour to pick ~1 lb 1...
Transcript of Laura Siegle Amelia County HOPS IN VIRGINIA Agriculture ... · Pick by hand 1 hour to pick ~1 lb 1...
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Laura Siegle
Amelia County
Agriculture
Extension
Agent
HOPS IN VIRGINIA
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“Humulus lupulus”
HOPS PRODUCTION BASICS
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WHAT’S A HOP?
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Dormancy
Spring Regrowth
Vegetative Growth
Reproductive Growth
Fall Dormancy
HOW DO HOPS GROW?
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Can grow up to 12” per day
Climb twine
Trellis height: ~15 feet in VA, up to 25’ in Pacific Northwest
Yield is somewhat limited by trellis height.
Dioecious: only females are used for production
Perennial below ground (produces rhizomes); annual top growth
Hops live for 10-25 years
HOW DO HOPS GROW?
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Long summer days up to flowering (~15 hours light in summer),
hot summers, cold winters
Yields are best between 35-55th latitudes
Dormant period: requires winter temps <40 for 1 -2 months
DAY LENGTH AND CLIMATE NEEDS
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They’ve been around for centuries in VA
…but there are reasons production has shifted to the Pacific NW
DO HOPS WORK IN VA?
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Full Sun
Well-Drained Soil
Good Air Flow
pH 6-6.5
Soil test with VT lab:
High P and K needs
N: can be ~150 lbs/acre
“75” is crop code for hops
My 2-cents: Amend early!
Irrigation-a must!
SITE PREP
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TRELLIS DESIGN
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Rhizomes-2-3 per hill
Cuttings
Field-grade plants
Space 3-7 feet apart
Fall or spring?
PLANTING
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Cascade
Columbus (Zeus)
Galena
Chinook
Nugget
VARIETY SELECTION
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Planting
Trimming roots/rhizomes
Pruning shoots-save for more mature plants
Training bines up twine-clockwise, 3 shoots per string
Stripping lower leaves for disease control
Disease monitoring
Irrigation
Weed control
PRE-HARVEST CHORES
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Spraying method for small growers is challenge #1!
APPLYING PEST CONTROLS TO HOPS
Air blast sprayer-starts ~$3000, can buy for small tractor
OR small vehicle/ATV with no PTO
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Downy Mildew
Powdery Mildew
Japanese Beetles
Spider Mites
Marketing
THINGS THAT KEEP VA GROWERS UP AT
NIGHT
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Pick by hand
1 hour to pick ~1 lb
1 lb worth ~$15/$16 currently (wet)
(For comparison, 1 lb dried hops sells for ~$10-40, varies greatly)
1 plant makes 1-2 lbs by the 3rd year
VA Yields are far less than elsewhere-1/3 or so (heat+light+disease+management learning curve)
Mechanical harvest -Old Dominion coop and some others now have harvester available for sharing -machine strips cones from the bines (see example here: http://bineimplement.com/3060-harvester.html)
Market immediately OR dry and/or pelletize (several VA facil ities are ready to pelletize in 2015)
HARVESTING
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Craft brewers
Home brewers
Herbal Products (tea, horse laminitis)
Restaurants (shoots, leaves)
Farm breweries
Rhizomes and cuttings
Agritourism-picking parties
Sell wet, dried, or pelletized
MARKETING OPTIONS FOR HOPS
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GROWER GROUPS IN THE STATE
· Old Dominion Hops Cooperative-They are a very proactive
group who seeks to help one another, promote the crop, and
provide educational opportunities. Their website has a grower
map. http://www.olddominionhops.com/
• Local brew clubs and grower groups
• Hardywood Project
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OLD DOMINION HOPS COOP MEMBERS
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Industry is new but growing rapidly
Matching yields and prices for hops from major hops -producing
states is a challenge, BUT, VA growers have unique
opportunities:
Wet hops offer different brewing options
Capture local premium/local value system
Organics? Not seeming important currently-organic beer market not
huge
Dried/pelletized hops: feasible? Still experimenting
Agritourism-hop picking events
Hop shoots served in local restaurants
Hops in VA are getting a lot of press
Hop growing crowd is a bit dif ferent -some just do it for the
satisfaction of contributing in a small way; some are striving to
become a legitimate, profitable farm operation
THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED
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“I’m looking for some income after I retire”
“I have 20 acres I’m not using”
“Do you use email?” “No.”
“Who will buy my hops if I sell them?”
“My yard is next to the woods in the shade.”
“I’m looking for an easy crop to try.”
MORE OF MY 2-CENTS WHEN ADVISING
CLIENTS: LOOK FOR RED FLAGS
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FOR NOW, hops are a “market your own crop” crop. Could change.
Hops are labor-intensive
Like all aspects of farming, hops are not a get -rich-quick crop
Labor is a problem-for now, growers use agritourism, extended family, people off the street…..
Go small for hand labor, or go up to a few acres to justify equipment
Existence of some shareable harvest and processing equipment might be a gamechanger for labor requirements for nearby growers
Hops might not be impressive in Year 1-income also delayed
Trellis may take several years to pay off
Start small, consider market first.
Growers: Free samples and/or brewer visits make a world of dif ference
Compete, but build partnenships-network with other growers!
MAKE SURE YOUR CLIENTS KNOW WHAT
THEY ARE GETTING INTO
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· The Growth of V i rg inia Hops: ht tp ://www.r ichmond.com/food -dr ink/ar t ic le_03231c58 -1e57-11e4-b3c7-001a4bcf6878.html
· V i rg in ia Now Har vest ing Hops: ht tp ://www.t imesdispatch.com/enter ta inment -l i fe/columnists -blogs/ lee -graves/the -beer -guy -v i rg inia -now -har vest ing -hops/ar t ic le_6afa92c4 -aa31-5f55-9b02-0dc047dde8f0.html
· Centra l V i rg in ia A g Spot l ight : I ’ ve done a few stor ies on my b log fo l lowing two hops growers in Chester f ie ld. ht tp ://blogs .ext .vt .edu/central -v i rg inia -ag-spot l ight/categor y/specia l ty -crops-2/hops-specia l ty -crops-2/
· Co l lect ion of new ar t ic les h ighl ight ing the c rop and members of the Old Dominion Co -op: ht tp ://www.olddominionhops.com/home/in -the -news
· From Grain to Growler Documentar y: Focuses on the growth of brewer ies in VA , but a lso h ighl ights the suppor t ing industr ies inc luding VA hops and new interest in mal t bar ley. ht tp ://fromgraintogrowler.com /
USA Today: V i rg inia Turuning to Hops as Potent ia l Cash Crop: ht tp ://www.usatoday.com/stor y/money/business/2014/10/05/ap -v i rg in ia - turning -to -hops -as-potent ia l -cash -crop/16767145/
Untapped Potent ia l for Hops Industr y in V i rg inia : ht tp ://www.dai lyprogress.com/news/local/ag -exper ts -untapped-potent ia l - for -hops-industr y - in -v i rg in ia/ar t ic le_a76b6416 -981d-11e3-aa03-0017a43b2370.html
Richmond T imes -Dispatch ar t ic le : ht tp ://www.t imesdispatch.com/agricul ture -exper ts -say -va -has -potent ia l - for -hops-market/ar t ic le_4aa4ce9d -e5f2-527c-9b91-e6c10ce5bb60.html
Farm Bureau ar t ic le : ht tps ://vafarmbureau.org/NewsVideo/NewsHeadl ines/tabid/347/ar t ic leType/Ar t ic leView/ar t ic le Id/1679/More_growth_on_tap_for_Virg in ias_craf t_beer_ industr y.aspx
HOPS IN THE NEWS
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QUESTIONS?