JUNE 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC Hop growers hepped up about the future


Optimism rules with new society’s first annual meeting


by DAVID SCHMIDT CHILLIWACK – Like the


industry it represents, the BC Hop Growers Association is expanding by leaps and bounds. Although the BCHGA was only registered as a non- profit association last September, it already had 18 members by the end of December. After its annual meeting, May 6, that number was up to 35 members with more to come. “It’s good to see such a


great turnout,” BCHGA president Ray Bredenhof told about 50 interested and potential growers as they gathered in a Chilliwack hop field. The field, one of the province’s largest, provided a clear example of the industry’s growth. Although the first hops were only planted a year ago, the field has already doubled in size. Notably, the new field is located on the last property to grow hops in Chilliwack before the industry died in the 1990s. Bredenhof said the fledgling association has already accomplished a lot, creating a website as well as hosting a fall field day last October and a well-attended hops session at the Pacific Agriculture Show in January. It has ambitious plans for the coming year. First up is an online survey to determine hop acreages, varieties and yields in the province. “We need the data to


develop crop insurance and marketing programs. Buyers don’t know what we have,” Bredenhof explained, stressing a “great hop industry starts with growers working together and sharing ideas.” The BCHGA has also


started working with the Pest Management Regulatory Agency to obtain more pest and virus control products. They are particularly interested in a replacement for Gramoxone, which is


being phased out next year. Hopped up With so many people


interested in hops, the association’s annual meeting included a field day focused on getting a hop field off to a good start. It starts with healthy soil,


BC Ministry of Agriculture regional agrologist Dieter Gessing told the group. He noted hops are perennial plants so they like good drainage, meaning they should not be planted on compacted soils. Growers should take care not to compact the soil further after planting.


They also like lots of


nitrogen and lesser amounts of potassium, phosphorus and trace elements such as boron and zinc. Gessing encouraged growers to get their soil tested “two weeks before your fertilizer application” to determine the right concentrations to apply. While Oregon is trying to grow hops with one fertilizer application a year, Gessing advocates multiple smaller applications. “In Germany, growers do


three applications a year,” he reported, adding the timing and application rates will vary depending on the micro- climate and the variety in the field.


While some growers, such as Chilliwack Hops, are propagating their own plants, others are relying on propagators to source their plants. Peter Voogt of Green Flora


Greenhouses in Abbotsford is one of those propagators. Green Flora started propagating hops in 2015 and now has seven varieties available. “We can bring in other varieties as required,” Voogt told the group, saying all their stock plants come from the Washington Clean Plant Program.


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Speakers at the BC Hop Growers Association annual meeting and spring field day in Chilliwack on May 6 included president Ray Bredenhof. DAVID SCHMIDT PHOTO


Weather woes


Because hops like a lot of sunshine, this spring’s dreary weather has made propagation a challenge. The incessant rain was another problem, as it leached a lot of the nutrients out of the propagation pots. “We were irrigating in the rain just to keep the nutrient levels up,” Voogt stated. He told growers to set up their irrigation lines before planting so they can apply


water to the new plantings right away. However, he recommends they not add fertilizer until at least 10 days after planting. Like Gessing, he prefers “more frequent small fertilizer applications.” Water consultant Ted van der Gulik said most drop lines have emitters every 18 inches. With plants generally planted 30 inches apart that means there are usually two emitters a plant. The system needs to be designed so all plants get


the same amount of water and run long enough so the water and nutrients applied through the drip lines get to the farthest plants in the field. He stressed the amount of


water growers need to apply changes with plant size, soil type and temperature. “In Chilliwack, mid-summer,


you need to apply about 17 litres a day. In the Okanagan, the number can be two to three times as high,” he said.


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