Investigator: Matthew Grieshop, Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI
Project location: Flushing, Michigan

Summary:
The current nationwide shortage of organic hops, a renaissance of local breweries, and renewed popularity of home-brewing has created an opportunity for organic farmers wishing to diversify into hops production and capitalize on local markets. The high value per acre for hops production (as high as $10,000 gross) makes this crop especially attractive for smaller organic farms. In many respects, organic apple farmers may be especially well suited to hops production given the similarities between modern, high-density apple orchards and hops production. These similarities include: perennial production, the need for trellising or other structural support, as well as comparable harvest dates (August-October). However, potential hops production in the upper Midwest also presents significant challenges such as: selection of varieties well adapted to microclimatic conditions and local markets, development of realistic expectations for the cost of production, and assessment of potential pest management issues.

This one-year project will seek to investigate these opportunities and address these challenges through the initial establishment of 13 hops varieties on a certified organic apple operation outside of Flushing, Michigan. Project objectives are: 1. To determine the economic cost and feasibility of utilizing high-density orchard technology (e.g. trellis and drip irrigation systems) and practices (i.e. orchard floor management, pest management tactics) for Michigan/Upper Midwest production of organic hops; 2. To determine the relative suitability/productivity of 13 hops varieties for Michigan/Upper Midwest conditions;

Hop planting in early June with two workers taking growth measurements (Brenda Satterthwaite [foreground], and Emily Pochubay. Photo by Krista Buehrer.

3. To determine initial pest management challenges for organic hops produced under Michigan conditions.

The primary outcome of this study will be the development of cost of production and hops management extension materials for other organic farmers interested in diversifying into hops production. The initial hops crop produced during the course of this study will be made available to local breweries to determine the brewing characteristics of the successful varieties. Data collected on hops vine health and development, variety specific susceptibility to pest infestation, as well as yield and quality of cones produced will be used to develop future grant proposals.

A summary handout, Organic Hops for Michigan Apple Orchards was developed for a June 2009 field day, sharing project progress to date.

A final report describing the results of this project is expected in July 2010.