"Dad, what in the heck is that?" my son Wyatt asked as we passed the telephone pole scale trellis system along M-72 near Empire. "Hops son" was my reply.
Recent hop shortages, growing appeal with specialty beers and a desire for organic and locally sourced agricultural products have increased interest in local hop production by farmers, brewers and backyard enthusiasts throughout Michigan.
Over the last 5,000 years hops (Humulus lupulus L.) have been used for medicinal purposes, as a salad ingredient, a sleep aid in pillows and perhaps most importantly as an essential ingredient in beer production. The female flower "cones" of the hop plant contain lupulin glands with compounds important to the brewing process. These compounds, including alpha acids, beta acids and essential oils, contribute to beer's bitterness and aroma.
The first documented reference to the cultivation of hops is in the eighth century in the Hallertau region of Germany. Hops weren't grown for commercial production until 1808 in New York state. Slowly the hop spread west, although New York remained the major producer until the crop was decimated by downy and powdery mildew in the late 1920s. Today the vast majority of hops in the U.S. are produced in Washington and Oregon.
In 2007, after years of oversupply and stagnant prices, there was a "perfect storm" of events that dramatically changed the hops industry. As a result of more than a decade of poor returns, many farmers reduced hop acreage. In the U.S., hops acreage declined by over 30 percent since 1996. When combined with a 2006 warehouse fire that destroyed four percent of U.S. production, and poor yields globally in 2007, demand outpaced supply for the first time in years. Consequently, prices sky-rocketed (to $5 - $50/lb. in Michigan) and the needs of small-scale breweries took a back seat to large-scale beer producers who hold longterm contracts for 80 percent of U.S. hop production.
As prices increased, interest in hops production grew nationwide and farmers in many Great Lakes states planted hops for the first time in more than 100 years. Last year, Washington state producers responded by planting more than 8,000 acres (an increase of 35 percent over 2007 acreage), which will most likely stabilize prices in the years ahead.
Regardless, because of growing interest in the "buy local" movement and organic production, there may be an opportunity for small-scale producers to satisfy the needs of many Great Lakes microbreweries. A 2008 Michigan State University Extension survey of brewers in Michigan found: 100 percent were interested in establishing a contract with a small, local grower; 75 percent were concerned about the market security of hops; and, importantly, 55 percent of brewers would pay a 1 to 10 percent premium for locally grown, organic hops. If growers are savvy and diversify their marketing to include the medicinal, herbal and home-brew markets, they may be able jump-start a regional hop industry.
MSU Extension will hold a Sustainable Hop Production Workshop on Oct. 2 at the Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Station in Leelanau County. For more information please call 256-9888.
Dr. J Robert Sirrine is the Leelanau County Extension Director for Michigan State University Extension. He collaborates with colleagues to develop and offer agriculture and natural resource programs in northwest Michigan.
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