Hops growers from across Victoria and Tasmania say the year is looking promising after unusual weather, as seasonal workers and farmers gear up to pick the 2024 cones.
Hop Products Australia Victorian farm manager Aaron Bailey and his team will start their harvest at a Myrtleford site in the first week of March.
They had spent the past few months focusing on bine control, herbicide and fertiliser programs in preparation for harvest.
"We had a few minor setbacks earlier in the growing season, including flooding in localised areas and repeated cold spells that initially hindered plant growth," he said.
"But thanks to some warmer weather in recent months, the crop is shaping up well."
Meanwhile, their Tasmanian property had a dry and warm start to the growing season, and will have more than 350 seasonal workers joining the permanent team to help with harvest.
Late changes to international demand meant HPA would idle at about 25 per cent of its hop gardens this year, as COVID, beer production trends, and a growth in alternative beverages influence the market.
HPA will build a 24-metre tower to house a temperature-controlled pellet plant for improved quality and consistent performance.
HPA managing director Tim Lord said the hop market had always been cyclical, and they had experienced several good years due to the "craft beer boom".
"[It] led to an increase in more hop-centric beer production and a hop infrastructure where supply exceeded demand," he said.
"Now we're experiencing a dip.
"The decrease in production was not an easy decision, but it's better than sitting on aging hops we can't sell."
Meanwhile, Lightning Malt owner Adam Woods, Hopetoun, said he looked forward to finishing his solo harvest next week, in his second year of trialling a small hops farm in the Mallee.
He said he was a home brewer, which sparked his interest in growing hops, and he hoped to supply local breweries in north-west Victoria.
"I've already harvested centennial hops, they came in early, and next week I'm hoping to harvest my Cascade," he said.
"They're second-year plants and I have a couple of first-year Pride of Ringwood and Hersbrucker which is a trial plot at this stage."
He said he planted them without infrastructure in 2023 to experiment with growing hops in a Mallee climate.
"They seem to like the heat which is typical for Mallee weather," he said.
"This year has been unusual, it's been a very wet January and we've had quite a bit of rainfall which kicked things on, particularly in the Mallee.
"We can get some really bad days up there, with hot winds and things, which I thought would affect the yield or burn a few cones but they seem good."
Mr Woods said he was still in the learning process, but used the Mallee region to do malting of grain for beer as well.
"That's my number one priority, is to establish a small-scale single origin malting plant," he said.
Rachel Simmonds
Rachel is an agricultural journalist for Australian Community Media's Stock & Land. She covers all aspects of Victoria's farming community and industry. To get in contact, email rachel.simmonds@stockandland.com.au
Rachel is an agricultural journalist for Australian Community Media's Stock & Land. She covers all aspects of Victoria's farming community and industry. To get in contact, email rachel.simmonds@stockandland.com.au
