Organic Hop Market Report

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1 Organic Hop Market Report American Organic Hop Grower Association 2012 Spring Planting Report May 2012 Current Acreage by AOHGA Growers* Total Acreage New in 2012 Ahtanum The 2012 spring planting season is now behind the AOHGA growers, and they are knee-deep in the growing season. Cascade Centennial Chinook Last year proved to be a big year of growth in organic hop acreage, when over 50 new acres of certified organic hops were planted. In 2012, we ve experienced even larger gains in organic hop acreage, with over 125 new acres of certified organic hops planted by AOHGA growers this spring. Citra Experimental Fuggle Golding Hallertau 6.0 Liberty 1.0 Magnum Nugget Palisade 9.7 Perle Simcoe Sterling 21.2 Summit As the craft beer industry continues to grow, the AOHGA cannot emphasize enough the importance of open and consistent communication between grower and brewer. As soon as you anticipate a change in your hop needs, please contact your hop supplier! *Table includes AOHGA growers who responded to the survey. Hop Variety 1

2 Q & A Session with the AOHGA Grower Members There is quite a bit of new acreage in the industry this year. What are some of the challenges to establishing your first year (baby) acreage? Patrick Smith: The biggest challenge is coming up with acreage that is certifiable immediately. The 3-year transition period limits the amount of acreage we can convert to organic in any given year. Brad Carpenter: The primary challenge is to find ground that is approved for organic production, construction of trellis and irrigation systems need to be installed on new acreage as well as an production plan that meets organic standards. Jason Perrault: Babies can be tough even in conventional hop production, let alone under organic conditions. Weed and pest pressures are higher, and the fertility, especially nitrogen, is difficult to get to the plant right when they need it. The fertility issue is especially important with babies given their limited root systems. All of this adds up to very careful and intense management requirements to bring a baby crop to harvest. Lau Ackerman: Finding organic roots. What does it take to get organic hops into full production? BC: The second and sometimes third year after planting, the potential is then there to meet full production. Full production for organic grown hops is less than full production for conventional grown. LA: Ample water, nutrients, and lots of weed control. PS: Here in Yakima, we can get hops into full production in the second year. We get a decent harvest the first year, but the second year is our first year of "full" production. But it takes a lot of manual labor, especially in organics. Lots of hoeing and pulling weeds! Compared to previous years, how has the weather been on your farm this spring? JP: It has actually been a nice growing spring for us. The weather has been mild interspersed with some hot spells. Hops seem to respond well to this pattern. BC: Compared to last year, so far the weather has been warmer and drier, but much more wind. PS: This spring has been pretty average overall, which is a big improvement over 2011 (the coldest spring since 2000 by far). We've had a few 85+ degree days already which really help the hops get going. LA: Wet too often which made planting and weed control tough. Growth seems a little late also. Even though it s early, what is your outlook for the 2012 crop? LA: I think we will increase yields this year with focus on weed control and fertility. BC: As an organic hop producer, one of the criteria is to always remain positive, so therefore we expect a good outlook for 2012 crop. It is still way to early to estimate crop, but by mid- June we should know more. PS: We're off to a good start, but a lot can happen between now and harvest. JP: Given what we've seen thus far and the long term weather forecast, I am optimistic. With that said we've got a long way to go, and mother nature always gets the final word! 2

3 Member Spotlight Wolaver s Fine Organic Ales Otter Creek Brewing is one of the larger brewing companies within Vermont. This brewery purchased The Shed Brewery from Stowe, VT and Wolaver's Fine Organic Ales (USDA Certified Organic). Wolaver's was based out of California and the brand sold very well within Vermont, so in 1997 the two companies merged. Now, Wolaver's is produced alongside other Otter Creek beer keeping the tradition of using local and organic ingredients. In 1997, Wolaver s became the first USDA-certified organic brewer. At first a satellite brewery, Vermont s organic lifestyle fit the product that was envisioned, so Otter Creek and Wolaver s merged. The brewers worked with the organic barley and farmers in the area, and together they created an organic beer market. Since 2002, all Wolaver s Organic and Otter Creek Ales have been brewed in Middlebury, Vermont. In 2010, we expanded our brewery to meet the increasing demand for our beer while capturing energy efficiencies and maintaining Otter Creek and Wolaver s award winning commitment to taste and quality. As Mike Gerhart, Brewmaster puts it, You don t have to compromise your passion for great beer, in order to promote sound environmental practices. We prove that every day, here at Otter Creek Brewery. Our current distribution is in the following states CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VA, or VT. Why organic? The barley, wheat, and hops in our beers are certified organic by Vermont Organic Farmers, meaning they were grown without using synthetic chemicals, pesticides, or genetic engineering. Using agrochemicals not only pollutes our water and poses health risks, it also sterilizes the soil. We are proud to use ingredients that have been grown responsibly, with consideration for future generations- and more beers down the road! Why Wolaver's? We buy local ingredients whenever possible. Our brewery uses biodiesel and a free-air cooling system to minimize our impact on the environment. We support sustainable farming and living. Our beers are delicious, fine quality craft beers and we have a wide range of flavors and styles. To learn more about Otter Creek Brewing Company, please visit 3

4 Member Spotlight Blue Ridge Hops from our view...to your brew Blue Ridge Hops is a small family farm, located in the mountains of Western North Carolina, where spectacular long-range views surround the hop yard. Owners John Wright and Rita Pelczar have been growing organic hops since We gained organic certification in 2009, and joined AOHGA in 2010 because we wanted to help promote the production and use of organic hops. Establishing the hop yard presented several challenges, not the least of which was the terrain there was no level land, so our hop yard was sited it on a high meadow with a 30 degree slope. A low trellis system, using farm harvested black locust for posts, was constructed to facilitate harvesting the crop in situ, without cutting down the bines. Whereas most large growers harvest their crop all at once, often with machines, we harvest by hand, over several weeks, selecting cones as they reach their peak maturity leaving younger cones to continue to develop. While this is labor intensive, it maximizes production of quality cones. Another challenge was finding good information about growing hops in the Southeast, where until recently, little commercial hops has been produced. For the past three years we have worked closely with North Carolina State University s NC Hops Project ( which has research hop yards in Raleigh and nearby Mills River, where varieties are being tested to determine which grow best in the Southeast. Using soil and tissue samples from our hop yard and a few other growers in the area, as well as the two research hop yards, this project has successfully developed nutrient recommendations for growing hops in North Carolina information that was unavailable to growers just a couple years ago. With more than a dozen microbreweries within an hour s drive of the farm, we sell the bulk of our hops fresh (wet) for special seasonal brews this requires coordinating our harvest with the brew masters schedules, and delivery within hours of harvest. Those hops that we don t sell fresh, we dry on site, the same day they are harvested. The dried whole cones are vacuum-sealed and frozen for sale to home brewers. Each growing season continues to yield answers to the unique cultural challenges of growing hops in the mountains of Western North Carolina, contributing to the expansion of this crop outside the Pacific Northwest. Blue Ridge Hops anticipates that such expanded production will provide distinctive characteristics particular to specific growing regions, adding ever more options to the brewing art. 4

5 AOHGA Grower Members B.T. Loftus Ranches, Inc. Patrick Smith 1209 Morrier Lane, Yakima, WA Perrault Farms, Inc. Jason Perrault Lateral A Rd, Toppenish, WA jason@perraultfarms.com Blue Ridge Hops Rita Pelczar and John Wright 313 Laurel Branch Rd Marshall, NC blueridgehops@aol.com Roy Farms Jim Boyd 401 Walters Rd, Moxee, WA jim@royfarms.com Carpenter Ranches, LLC Brad Carpenter 400 Carpenter Road, Granger, WA brad@carpenterranches.com Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Lau Ackerman 1075 E 20th St, Chico, CA lau@sierranevada.com MEMBER SPOTLIGHT The Oregon Hophouse Patrick Leavy Butteville Rd NE, Aurora, OR hophouse@centurytel.net The Member Spotlight is a program for AOHGA members where we highlight the great things our members are doing in the organic community. We are asking our members to provide information for the Member Spotlight in the order in which they joined the association, so it s only a matter of time before we ll contact you to participate! AOHGA Membership Membership in the American Organic Hop Grower Association is open to anyone who would like to join. Our current membership levels are: Grower Members: Certified organic hop growers can join as grower members. They have voting rights, and their annual fee is $100 per certified acre. Associate Members: Associate memberships are open to anyone in the industry who supports the use of organic hops in organic beer, including growers. The annual fee for associate members is $100 per year. For more information on membership, please contact us at info@usorganichops.com. 5

6 AOHGA Associate Members Ron Britt & Associates Washington State University Thank You to Our Members for Your Support! 6