What's it like to be a Hops Grower?

Author: Colleen Carlson. If you are considering growing hops on a commercial scale, the Minnesota Hop Grower Association Annual Meeting and Workshop is where you can acquire information and get your questions answered about what it takes have a successful hop yard. 

Where and when

The Minnesota Hop Growers Association Annual Meeting will take place on Friday March 29 and Saturday March 30, 2019 at the Turtles 1890 Social Centre in Shakopee, Minnesota.

Participants may register for one or two days of the workshop:

• 2-Day Non-member Ticket $110.00
• 2-Day Member Ticket $65.00
• Friday only Non-Member ticket $70.00
• Saturday-Only Non-Member Ticket $95.00 

Membership and registration information is available on-line at https://mhga.org

What's it like to be a hops grower?

“Growing hops requires a significant up-front investment and can be quite labor intensive,” states John Brach, president of the MHGA. “Our association has put together a comprehensive hops growing workshop to explain these realities.”  Participants will hear from grower producers and industry experts during the workshop and learn about the latest research at the poster presentation.

The MHGA two-day technical workshop will feature all phases of hop growing, harvest and processing, marketing and the economics of hop growing along with hop diseases and trellis design.

Attendees will also learn what it takes to develop hop quality from bine to brew, how hop quality impacts the supply chain, why food safety matters and participate in hop sensory analysis.

A taste of what you could grow

“MHGA Annual Meeting and Workshop allows for netwCoorking and social events including beer tasting,” Josh Havill, Vice President of MHGA shared. “We will also have a beer made with a University of Minnesota experimental hop, grown by John Brach and brewed by Unmapped Brewing of Minnetonka, MN, which will give us the full flavor of what is being done in the Minnesota hops industry.”

The 6th Annual Minnesota Hops Grower Association Meeting and Workshop is sponsored in cooperation with North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) and the University of Minnesota Extension.

What is the MHGA?

The Minnesota Hop Growers Association (MHGA) was established in 2013 by growers, researchers and persons interested in Minnesota hop production.  Other research and training are being done at universities in Michigan, Ohio and Iowa.

MHGA offers more information about the MGHA annual meeting and Minnesota hops growing at: https://mhga.org and you can follow them: facebook.com/mhga.org/

Author: Colleen Carlson, Extension Educator, Carver and Scott Counties