Mark your calendar for July 15-16, 2023, and join us for a hoppy fun time for the whole family.
Yakima Valley dominates global hop production. Growers and research organizations across the Americas have tried to replicate the commercial scale of the Pacific Northwest with varying degrees of success. Hops Meadow Farm in Romney, West Virginia, takes a different approach.
Hops production in the United States has a rich history that dates back to the colonial era. However, in the late 1800s and early 1900s that mass production of hops began in the Pacific Northwest, particularly in states like Washington and Oregon. These large-scale operations were able to produce hops more efficiently and at a lower cost than smaller farms, which led to a decline in small-scale production in many regions.
“When people think of hops farms, they picture rows of 20′ trellises strung with cables – just wall-to-wall hops for acres or miles. That’s what works in the Pacific Northwest. But we know from years of SARE research that it doesn’t work here in West Virginia,” explains Antonia of Hops Meadow Farm.
With hundreds of hop plants wild-crafted and naturally irrigated, Hops Meadow offers visitors a different perspective on hop production.
“Any West Virginia farmer knows that a 50,000-head Montana ranch differs from a 15,000-head feedlot or a 50-head cattle operation in Hampshire County. That’s just common sense.
All three have cattle, and the similarities end there. Everything is different, from the farm layout to the equipment, the feed, the finances, the staffing, and the training… the only similarity is the cattle, and even they’re different. The breeds that fatten well in feedlots aren’t the hardy heritage breeds thriving on rough forage in the mountains. The same is true of hops.”
Modern hops yards focus on mass-producing thousands of pounds of hops with high-density plantings. But what if you need a hundred pounds of hops instead of a thousand? The answer is clear to anyone who has visited Hops Meadow Farm, where wild-simulated hops grow in carefully crafted permaculture guilds.
“For decades, brewers and researchers have foraged for wild hops. They seek genetic diversity, disease resistance, and other traits to improve high-intensity commercial production. They were never looking for a new system of production. But that’s what nature has provided- a new way of growing hops, based on how wild hops grow themselves,” Antonia explained.
Small-scale hop production offers a range of benefits including reduced environmental impact and increased flavor diversity in beer. Farmers can use more sustainable growing practices and reduce harmful chemicals and fertilizers by producing hops on a smaller scale. Additionally, small-scale production allows for a wider variety of hop strains, resulting in a more fantastic range of flavors and aromas for brewers.
Hops Meadow Farm takes a proactive approach to sustainability by using natural and organic methods to grow their hops. Their sustainable practices help preserve the environment and reduce their carbon footprint. For example, they use cover crops to enrich the soil, utilize natural irrigation techniques, and avoid the use of pesticides. By adopting these methods, Hops Meadow Farm ensures that their hops are not only high-quality but also environmentally friendly.
Once a year, during Hampshire County Farm Crawl, Hops Meadow Farm invites visitors to experience small-scale hop production. During Farm Crawl, the farm offers a mini-foraging experience for wild-crafted hops, opportunities to see, touch, taste, and smell whole cone hops, and samples of hoppy products like candied hops and hoppy popcorn.
Take advantage of this unique opportunity to experience small-scale hop production at Hops Meadow Farm. Mark your calendar for July 15-16, 2023, and join us for a hoppy fun time for the whole family.