The dry weather hasn’t been ideal for a lot of Michigan’s crops, but it has been a blessing for the state’s hop producers. Most of the state’s 670 acres of hops are under irrigation, giving growers the opportunity to control rainfall.
“The lack of moisture hasn’t really affected hops that much—it can cause increases in mites and whatnot, but it also helps with disease pressure when we don’t have a lot of moisture,” said Rob Sirrine, community food systems educator for Michigan State University Extension. “I’ve gotten reports from all across the state, and everything’s looking really good.”
With this minimal disease pressure, it could make for a bumper crop of hops.
“The most important time to control disease is early in the season,” said Sirrine. “Because it’s been so dry, that’s really helped out quite a bit and allow growers to reduce the number of sprays they’d have to put on. We usually get a bit more moisture or precipitation and our humidity levels are high, so that’s something in general we usually have to contend with. Because it’s been so dry, we haven’t had to.”
In terms of growing degree units, Michigan’s hop crop is about seven to 10 days ahead of normal. Right now, it’s unclear if that will impact when harvest will begin.
“Hops are a little bit different—we might be harvesting some varieties a little bit earlier than normal, but a lot of it’s based on dry matter,” he said. “It takes some time to figure out the best time to harvest certain varieties because the flavor profile changes over time. Some you might want to let hang a little bit longer, some you want to get off earlier. It’s really cultivar dependent.”
The Hop Quality Group is preparing to issue their sensory analysis on hops from the 2020 harvest. The final results will be published in a few weeks. We will share those results on air and online.
