hopping? Time
to get
Farmersmay have an opportunity to diversify, as B.C. craft brewers have indicated they would be willing to pay a premiumprice for locally-sourced hops. By Gary Strachan
H
ow many times have you seen it? A new agricultural market opens. The first people to
plant do very well. Others follow suit and soon the price has collapsed close to the cost of production. Progressive farmers are always on the lookout for a new commodity. Conservative farmers sit back and suck it up, but since almost all agricultural commodities have cyclical markets, perhaps the farmers who sit tight are the real winners after all. Frequent change can be very expensive, plus there is always a “learning curve”.
After 40 years of working with 8 British Columbia Berry Grower • Spring 2017
grapes and wine, I find it hard to grasp how a horticultural crop could require a trellis made from posts that are seven metres long. My first question was “Surely there must be an easier way?”. It didn’t take long to find out that researchers had already asked the same question. The answer? Yes, you can use a shorter trellis similar to a grape trellis, but you sacrifice yield.
The rapid expansion of craft breweries has created demand for a wider range of hop varieties. Each brewer must find a brew recipe and
flavours that will express his style and differentiate him from the rest of this huge market. This demand is being supported by hundreds of online postings for growers. A simple search will introduce you to hops consumption data, investment data, and grower guides. A good example is the Nova Scotia Hop Growers’ Guide, available online.
I was surprised to see the Richter’s spring catalogue I recently received listing 19 varieties of hops. It is intriguing to note the close
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