A lot of people follow a lot of the developments over on Facebook by following the group Homegrown Hopyards, but many growers really have to discount many of things being undertaken right now out at two of our hop yard sites. The plan was never to really expect 2015 to be more than a transition year as we overhauled acreage and converted from prior farm use t growing hops.
We continue to plant each and every opportunity, whether through field starts acquired through various sourcing, cuttings taken from our existing plants or through more rhizomes. Much of this is predicated on 2016 and having everything in place to really focus on yield and increasing expansion rows. So much of this season has been spent cutting trees, digging auger holes, raising rows as beds, learning how the run off water from heavy rains will impact the rows, the weed issues of planting where former seed once thrived and basically observing how the climate area impacts plant development.
We learn more with each row, but we also learn through experimenting with different hop varietals, something many growers appear unwilling to do these days. A lot of people are approaching hop growing from a financial end and that is a dangerous proposition the first couple of years, especially if you are investing in equipment and things like drip irrigation systems.
The fact remains we are not true commercial growers. In fact, I would dare say that there are no commercial growers in truth in the entire Commonwealth. The reality of it is no one right now will sustain profitability based simply on the sale of wet hops come harvest. In order to do that, one would have to have at the very least five acres or so of hops if you factor in the expenses associated with the construction and equipment like harvesters let alone factoring in paid labor. I listen and read a lot of posts elsewhere from growers with less than 500 plants in the ground and often wonder if the reality of not getting $20-25 pound as some have suggested has really set in yet. Even if you were a rock star grower and could yield 3 pounds of hops and generated 1,500 pounds of hops during the season that would just barely cover the costs of a Bine Implement Hop Harvester let along all the trellis poles, cable, sisal or coir, any chemicals required, compostings, fabric, and of course plant material.
I say this not to discourage but to engage growers with one simple thought; expand expand expand. You have to already be thinking about next season and its June. You have to have a long term plan. I look at our expansion yards as three to five year commitments. The goal is to establish the plants primarily. Even though hops will be sold that hardly constitutes a "commercial" business though some would argue the point. There appears to also always be that divisive element of always being concerned about what others are doing that ripples through so many commercial activities, but I would urge growers to hone their growing craft and worry less about what others are doing or frankly saying regarding other growers or growing in general. Each grower and each site is different. Its an art frankly very close to brewing. You will develop skill sets and learn what works and more importantly what doesn't for you regardless of those telling you otherwise.
I had another grower constantly rant about what hops would or would not grow here and this person never even had tried the varieties. When it comes to growing, you have to try things and experiment and simply rely on what others opinions may or may not be. The can at times always seem to be an agenda at play as well when others try to tell growers opinions guised as facts. Best example has been that only Cascade can grow well in the region and its a farce that unfortunately many have presumed to be fact.
Not all plants grow the same and you can not expect varieties that have lineage with Europe to grow in the manner in which a hop like Cascade was bred to grow in the Northwest. Its soil preferences are very different. The spacing requirements for horizontal growths are different and the harvest season is also unique to specific varieties. This less experienced growers fail to realize or have failed to be informed regarding many of these differences and when they try out a new hop and it doesn't work they fall victim to the assumption the hop will not grow here rather than the growing techniques employed do not work for that specific hop.
We continue to plant and will do so until Fall and then throughout Fall as well to get the plants acclimated as best as possible for 2016. In the mean time many have been working on a processing facility to construct that will pave the future of the operation as well as benefit many other growers in the region. This will be vital in the future. Many legislators are on board as well to begin to create programs to support growers contributing to Virginia's craft beer explosion whereby the brewers themselves may get tax breaks for buying Virginia grown products.
The Spring will mark the first time that some of the new varieties being released will be planted in Virginia. These will be on a trial basis initially of course but many brewers eagerly await these new hops as a way to differentiate their beers flavor profiles from others. The beer scene is getting crowed. Lets be honest but its still a business that thrives itself on originality. Having new, local ingredients are ba key resource for those brewers who wish to tap into unique flavors but growers need to always keep in find the confines of brewer budgets and margins.
Frankly $15-18 a pound for local hops is not sustainable for most breweries. growers need to keep this in mind. The best course of action is to partner with breweries via planting contracts not hop contracts. Breweries provide the capital to purchase plants (rhizomes or crowns) and the grower does what he or she does best; grow!
No comments:
Post a Comment