Hops Harvest Ongoing in Ontario

Sep 12, 2014

Everything Old is New Again – Growing Hops is catching the attention of Several Producers in Ontario

You may have noticed something different in a few fields in Ontario. Since mid-August, hop harvest has begun in Ontario, and depending on location and weather conditions, will likely be underway for another few weeks. Melanie Doerksen, President of the Ontario Hop Growers’ Association (OHGA) and co-owner of the “Carolinian Hop Yard”, says hop farmers are accustomed to people stopping their cars to look at the hops growing in the field. “Most people who stop have never seen hops growing in Ontario before.”

It hasn’t been a great growing season, with the wet spring and start to the summer. Many hop producers saw their fields impacted by downy mildew and similar problems, then later the “the pests came” says Doerksen, who has been grown hops for the past 4 growing seasons with her husband on their farm in Norfolk County. “Unfortunately, yields will be lower than in previous years,” Doersken continues, “The good news is, the crops that thrived are looking good in terms of quality.”

Hop producers had virtually disappeared in Ontario; up until the early 1900s hops were a crop that you would have seen in many parts of the province. But, for a variety of reasons, such as fewer independent brewers, hops virtually disappeared as a crop in Ontario. When asked what is causing the return of hops as a viable crop in Ontario, Doerken responds that the growth in craft brewers and the push towards local food/drink has encouraged producers to grow hops.

There are currently only about 30 acres of hops grown in Ontario; several different varieties are grown. The challenge for hop producers is that there is no infrastructure to help harvest and process the crop, so getting into the hop growing business is expensive. But Doerken and the OHGA are eager to see the return of hops as a commercially grown crop in Ontario.

Think your farm is up to the hop growing challenge? Doerken recommends asking yourself two key questions before you plant your hops:

“Have you spoken to a brewer for a contract?” she highly recommends having a contract with an established brewer before you get started.
“How do you plan on processing, picking, drying, bailing, and pelletizing your hops?” Doerken says it OK if you do not currently own all of the necessary equipment, but you need to have access to, or make arrangements to access the right equipment and processing facilities.

Resource: Ontario Hop Growers Association

Video: How farmers are protecting the soil and our food security | DW Documentary

For a long time, soil was all but ignored. But for years, the valuable humus layer has been thinning. Farmers in Brandenburg are clearly feeling the effects of this on their sandy fields. Many are now taking steps to prepare their farms for the future.

Years of drought, record rainfall and failed harvests: we are becoming increasingly aware of how sensitively our environment reacts to extreme weather conditions. Farmers' livelihoods are at stake. So is the ability of consumers to afford food.

For a few years now, agriculture that focuses solely on maximum yields has been regarded with increasing skepticism. It is becoming more and more clear just how dependent we are on healthy soils.

Brandenburg is the federal state with the worst soil quality in Germany. The already thin, fertile humus layer has been shrinking for decades. Researchers and farmers who are keen to experiment are combating these developments and looking for solutions. Priority is being given to building up the humus layer, which consists of microorganisms and fungi, as well as springtails, small worms and centipedes.

For Lena and Philipp Adler, two young vegetable farmers, the tiny soil creatures are invaluable helpers. On their three-hectare organic farm, they rely on simple, mechanical weed control, fallow areas where the soil can recover, and diversity. Conventional farmer Mark Dümichen also does everything he can to protect soil life on his land. For years, he has not tilled the soil after the harvest and sows directly into the field. His yields have stabilized since he began to work this way.

Isabella Krause from Regionalwert AG Berlin-Brandenburg is convinced after the experiences of the last hot summers that new crops will thrive on Brandenburg's fields in the long term. She has founded a network of farmers who are promoting the cultivation of chickpeas with support from the scientific community.