NW Indiana Farmers Converge and Learn at Pinney Purdue Field Day

NW-Indiana-Farmers-Converge-and-Learn-at-Pinney-Purdue-Field-Day-2016_01More than 400 northern Indiana and southern Michigan farmers – representing more than a half million farmed acres – gathered Wednesday, August 24, to hear the latest research-based information about the business of farming. And while the people who grow our food were reminded not to leverage the farm during this economic downturn in the agricultural business, they also learned about the potential for growing hops to meet the demand of the growing craft beer business.

“Agriculture is going through the same downturn as the housing market in 2009,” said Jason Henderson, Director of Extension and Associate Dean at the Purdue University College of Agriculture in West Lafayette. “Demand is flat, supply is up and farmers are paying higher interest rates,” he said.

The Pinney Purdue Field Day is just one of many Purdue Extension events held to help farmers enhance their production, while growing the best quality food at the cheapest price for consumers.

Other topics for the day-long event included optimizing corn and soybean yields by managing nutrients, pests, weeds and diseases. But the real buzz centered on growing hops for the local craft brewers. Pinney Purdue Field Day had regular corn and soybean growers interested in raising hops as a specialty crop, according to Gene Matzat Purdue Ag Extension Educator in LaPorte County.

NW-Indiana-Farmers-Converge-and-Learn-at-Pinney-Purdue-Field-Day-2016_02Growing Hops for Hoosier Brewers
“Younger farmers are interested in growing hops,” said Steve Howe, a full-time teacher who also has been managing 3,000 hops plants over the past few years. “They want to diversify their ag business and are looking for a specialty crop. You don’t need a lot of acreage to grow hops. You do, however, need to have an interest in craft beers to be able to make connections with brewmasters and home brewers in order to market and sell your crop."

Most Indiana hop growers do not have an agriculture background, according to Lyndsay Ploehn, Purdue Ag Extension Educator – Porter County. In fact, Howe is a school teacher, another hop farmer works for the post office while yet another is a roofer and studied videography.

“They are such a unique group of people,” she said.

Purdue Field Day/Add 1
Howe said growing hops is quite viable in Indiana, and that Purdue jumped on board from day one by connecting him and other growers with hop growers from all over the country. “We are still learning but now I’m in year three and am able to teach others how to get started.”

NW-Indiana-Farmers-Converge-and-Learn-at-Pinney-Purdue-Field-Day-2016_03Getting Back to Hoosier’s Hop Roots
Indiana has a history in hops dating back to the 1800s but humidity brought diseases and mildew. Today, most of the country’s hops are grown in Washington’s Yakima Valley, plus in Oregon and Idaho. But Howe said quality-conscious consumers everywhere are driving a movement for locally produced foods, and handcrafted, small-batch beers made with locally grown hops makes a lot of sense.

Yes, disease is still an issue, Howe said, and Purdue University ag specialists are growing and studying perennial hops to determine the best varieties of hops to grow in the state, potential crop yield, and insect pests and diseases management, among other things.

“If you have the land and the ambition, you can make it in hops,” Howe said. “There are hundreds of varieties with different bittering and aromatic components. We talk to our craft brewers about the qualities they want in their beers, like acidity and aroma. While they’re at the farm, we also talk about the foods they want grown locally to pair with their beverages so we are growing small batch foods and proteins. We’re doing it right and brewers can source their foods close to home.”

Purdue has five Extension Educators throughout the state being trained to assist hop growers as part of the Boiler Hops Team. Lyndsay Ploehn, Purdue Ag Extension Educator in Porter County is our local hop specialist. Lyndsay often works with Steve Howe to gain first-hand knowledge and understanding of growing hops in Northwest Indiana. The Boiler Hops program also hosts hop field days throughout the year that focus on training, pest and disease management, and harvesting. To find out more about the Indiana hop industry visit https://ag.purdue.edu/hla/Extension/Pages/Hops.aspx or contact Lyndsay Ploehn.