JUNE 2018 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


Hops revival gains traction with feds Pest management, financing programs get behind resurgent sector


by DAVID SCHMIDT CHILLIWACK – Fifty years ago, hops


were a common sight across the central and eastern Fraser Valley with thousands of acres in production. About 20 years ago, the local industry ceased to exist as major brewers switched to lower-cost hops from the Yakima Valley. In the past few years, however, hop


production has returned to BC, driven by a surge in craft breweries not only in this province but all over North America. Rather than being dominated by one or two producers, the new hop industry is marked by small, independent growers still feeling their way. “We all have a lot to learn,” says BC


Hop Growers Association chair Ray Bredenhof.


That is one reason he and others


formed the BCHGA a couple of years ago. The association hit the ground running, holding spring and fall field days and education seminars at the Pacific Agriculture Show. It also sent two directors to the Pest Management Regulatory Agency minor use initiative meeting in Quebec this spring and started working with government to develop a hop-specific crop insurance program and get hops included in the federal government’s Advance Payments Program, which provides loan guarantees. The efforts appear to be paying off. PMRA approved funding for three of the


hop growers’ “A-level priority” pesticides and government has promised that hops will be eligible for APP this year. “BC hops are getting noticed internationally,” Bredenhof told the BCHGA’s annual meeting in Abbotsford, April 21. “We are now the largest hop-growing area in Canada.” Just how large is anybody’s guess. That’s why a grower survey of both


SEAN MCINTYRE FILE PHOTO


acreage and varieties is a priority for the BCHGA. “The government needs hard numbers to work with us,” Bredenhof said.


Although hops have been promoted as an ideal crop for small acreages, he stresses that it’s not a get-rich-quick scheme, pointing out it has proven not to be a good crop for non-farmers. Just like most other crops, it needs good management as it is susceptible to a variety of pests and diseases. It is also susceptible to weather issues, which dominated the headlines last year. “We had flooding followed by drought


in the Interior and a wet spring which caused a lot of mildew in the Fraser Valley,” Bredenhof said. Despite that, “we had a good quality


crop last year,” he stated. However, the challenges continued even after the crop was grown. Not only


can growers lose a crop “in a few minutes” on the drying floor, but you can even lose the drying floor. Just three days into last fall’s harvest, Chilliwack Hops, the area’s largest grower-processor, lost its processing plant in a fire. “We look forward to them rebuilding,” Bredenhof said. Getting into hop production and processing can be a costly proposition but


help is available, says Chris Clifford of RCAP Leasing, which offers lease financing for equipment. Previously known as MCAP, the company became a subsidiary of RBC Financial Group in 2010 and was rebranded. RCAP will provide lease financing for up to 100% of the value of buildings and equipment, Clifford told growers. He explained that leasing is attractive option because it reduces large down payments and speeds up depreciation. “Leasing is tailored for tax purposes,” he said, adding that payments can be seasonally adjusted so larger payments become due during and after harvest rather than in the spring and summer when cash flow is tighter.


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Find your favourite Grober products at the following Dairy-Crop BC area dealers:


Agri-Supply LTD Kamloops (250) 372-7446


Barriere Country Feeds Inc. Barriere (250) 672-5256 Beavervalley Feeds


Williams Lake (250) 392-6282


Country West Supply Armstrong (250) 546-9174 Chilliwack (604) 847-3737


Dares Country Feeds Langley (604) 856-1611


Spruce Capital Feeds LTD Prince George (250) 564-6010


Top Shelf Feeds


Black Creek (778) 428-4444 Courtenay (250) 897-3302 Duncan (250) 746-5101 Powell River (604) 485-2244 Victoria (250) 478-8012


Valley Nutrition Armstrong (250) 309-7188


Or contact Gerry DeGroot directly at (604) 819-4139 or Jelle Vogels at (604) 997-0059


EVENTUALLY WE ALL GRO


LL GROW UP. HOW WELL? THAT’S UP TO YOU


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