Hops “Shakeout”

Posted on March 3, 2017 by Joshua

I was wondering when these types of articles would start filtering through.

I think it really boils down to what drives each group. For the traditional, large yards out West, typically where that’s all they do and in mass quantities is grow hops, yeah it’s a problem to have their market share slowly eaten away.

For us newer, smaller yards here in the East, hops are part of a larger picture. We knew from the start that hops would never be the only crop we grew. At our Farm, it was added to a mix we were slowly already building and I’d never want to se that change. It follows in line with our certification with Certified Naturally Grown…all part of a cooperative, natural system each supporting the other…not a 3-legged stool.

The other difference is that we are doing it not just for our families and our Farms, but for our communities, our local independent breweries and the families and friends all part of that circle. It’s not just about making sure we have enough to cover our costs and make a small profit…pretty sure those aren’t the drivers out West.

They have skin in the game…we have skin, spirit and soul in it!