Category Archives: Specialty Crops

Meet Piedmont Hops (Again)

Posted on August 14, 2014 by laurab08

Last year, we posted our first story about Piedmont Hops, run by business partners David Goode and Steve Brown. Piedmont Hops includes a yard in Chesterfield County and a second yard in North Carolina. Click on the original story here to read about the background of this operation and learn more about how hops are grown.

The hops industry is growing in Virginia thanks to increased demand for locally-produced goods, an upswing in consumer interest in craft beer, and a boost in the number of brewers establishing themselves in Virginia. David Goode and Steve Brown began growing hops as a hobby, but soon found themselves growing commercially to meet the needs of the industry. Last year, the business consisted of two hundred plants. In 2014 it has been expanded to four hundred and thirty plants, and the combined total for both yards will reach 800-1,000 in 2015. Their hops, once planted, grow perennially out of a crown in the soil, but the bines that produce hops cones grow from new shoots each spring that are trained to grow upward on twine hung from a trellis.

David and Steve collaborate frequently with fellow hop producers, and many prospective growers have toured the operation to learn about the industry. In fact, Piedmont Hops is part of the Old Dominion Hops Cooperative, a grower organization that fosters networking between members and outreach to brewers about Virginia-grown hops. Piedmont Hops has also taken advantage of the opportunity to participate in the Virginia Grown marketing program offered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer services, whereby growers in the state can have their farms and products listed in a searchable online directory available to consumers.

Soil in the new ground at the Chesterfield yard will be amended to prepare for additional plants for the 2015 season.

We spent some time visiting with David at Piedmont Hops this summer and discussing the progress they have made since we last wrote about the operation.

How is the 2014 season going?
2014 could have been better. We made some minor mistakes in VA and have learned a great deal from them. Our NC yard started slow, but decided to wake up early June. We were worried, but it appears we will have a nice yield of hops there.

Did you learn anything from 2013 that motivated you to make changes going into this 2014 season?
We learned the hard way this season that we did not amend our soils properly and we very low on organic matter. Our 2013 fall planting struggled to get going. We planted Columbus in the fall. They did not do well. We planted Zeus, a mirror image variety to Columbus in late spring 2014. It grew much better than Columbus. We will be replacing our Columbus with Zeus.

Any there any new practices you are trying in 2014?
We do soil testing in both yards, a must with this crop. Our fertilizer program in VA can be improved. We may look into fertigation for 2015. We plan to send hops for analysis to VA Tech as soon as we have some more available to harvest. We have worked with our county Extension agents on tissue sampling. What a fun experience it was working with Mike Likins (Agriculture and Natural Resources and Environmental Horticulture agent for Chesterfield County Extension) and seeing the hops under a microscope-very rewarding.

Have you added any new varieties in your yards this year?
We grow in both yards Cascade, Chinook and Nugget. We have added Zeus.

What is your outlook on your grower organization, Old Dominion Hops Cooperative, and the Virginia industry as a whole?
It is great to see the cooperative gaining members and recognition. We are glad to be part of the organization and what it stands for. We regularly attend meetings and always promote and encourage farmers to join. It’s a great way to learn, gain friendships, and fellowship. The industry is growing with the help of Stan Driver, Jeanine Davis, NC State, Virginia Tech, and Virginia Cooperative Extension.

What has been your biggest challenge so far in this business?
Japanese beetles and spider mites at our VA yard have been our biggest challenges. We took care of the mites organically, but failed to rid the bines of beetles. Having two yards in two states makes for challenging logistics. We get it done, but it’s a lot of wear and tear on the bodies.

Do you have any successes you’d like to share?
We were able to successfully market hops shoots to a restaurant in NC, the Eddy Pub. We continue to propagate strong plant material for our VA yard. Our plant cuttings we take in the spring and plant in late May reach the top of our trellis and are full of cones.

Hop plants growing from cuttings from the yard

Marketing Virginia-grown hops is relatively new territory for many growers in this industry. Can you update us on your marketing efforts this year?
We have sold hops to Haw River Farmhouse Ales and Steel String, both North Carolina breweries. Haw River made a hops soda that was a big hit using our fresh NC Cascade. We have the remaining VA hops going to Hardywood Park for their seasonal RVA IPA. Our NC yard will be harvested soon and we are currently working with several NC clients regarding those hops.

Hops are perennials that grow outdoors and require a tall trellis. However, David had some leftover plants in buckets sitting in an unused hoop house this spring. On a whim, he hung some twine from the roof and let the bines climb, and surprisingly enough, these potted plants grew to the top quickly and will offer excellent cones for harvest time.

Piedmont Hops has an excellent webpage and facebook page. How are you using social media in your business?
We thoroughly enjoy taking photos of hops. We get creative and have fun with it. Social media is great for keeping our beer friends up to date on our yards and where they can find our hops. We use Facebook, twitter and Instagram. We have had a few sales based on our social media posts. Most of our marketing is direct emails to the brewers or stopping by for a pint and a chat about locally grown hops. Social media goes both ways. We love checking out photos of other yards and their hops. Folks love showing off their bines!

Additional Resources for Readers:
Piedmont Hops Webpage
Piedmont Hops Facebook page
Old Dominion Hops Cooperative
North Carolina Hops Project
Virginia Cooperative Extension – Chesterfield County (find your local office and agents here)
Virginia Grown program and searchable farm and food directory

Meet Huguenot Hops (Again)

Posted on July 28, 2014 by laurab08

Last year, we posted a story about Huguenot Hops in Chesterfield County, run by business partners Devon Kistler and Kurt Stanfield. Click on the original story here to read about the background of this operation and learn more about how hops are grown.

Virginia may not top the charts as a hops-producing state, but a rising number of growers have kick-started a movement to increase the availability of locally-grown hops to the burgeoning craft beer industry. Huguenot Hops is a trailblazer in this effort, expanding in size this spring to become one of the largest hop yards in the region. With the increased acreage comes more trellises to build, more bines to train, more weeds to control, and more cones to pick, but Devon and Kurt are committed to their work and passionate about quality.

We visited the operation recently to see the yard expansion and compare the upcoming harvest to what we saw in 2013.

How much has your operation expanded since we first visited you in 2013?
Last year we had 70 plants. This year we have 1200 plants on 1.25 acres. Our plan is to expand to 2600 plants on 3 acres in the next couple of years.

Which varieties of hops are you growing?
Last year was just Cascade. This year we added Nugget and Zeus. We plan to add more varieties in 2015.

How is the 2014 hops season going so far?
Because of the weather, the second year plants were ready for harvest a month earlier than we expected. However, we were able to sell the hops to Alewerks. Also, we have learned how to combat Japanese Beetles and two-spotted spider mites.

Did you learn anything from 2013 that motivated you to make changes going into this 2014 season?
Yes! We have a completely new trellis system and automated drip irrigation system. Also, there are fewer rows in between poles. One of the more significant improvements was running liquid fertilizer through the drip irrigation … fertigation rocks!

Any there any new practices you are trying in 2014?
We did hops testing last year and are continuing that practice this year. Same with soil testing. Although we had soil testing completed by another entity we also had some done at VT. As I said before, fertigation rocks! We still need to better understand quantities to put down.

What is your outlook on your grower organization, Old Dominion Hops Cooperative, and the Virginia industry as a whole?
The Co-Op is gaining a lot of participation from new farmers and combining forces with hop growers in North Carolina. We expect there will be more changes in the Co-Op in the next year as new leadership is elected and groups are created to support specific functions of the Co-Op. I think brewers are a lot more aware of Virginia-grown hops than they were a year ago and they are willing to come out to farms and eventually buy local hops. However, the door is not going to open a lot more for sales of local hops until we have the ability to pelletize and professionally package hops at a location that is central to the majority of hop growers.

Devon Kistler holds a rhizome he pulled up from one of his plants. Left to their own devices, hops spread through the underground growth of rhizomes, and some industry suppliers collect and sell high-quality rhizomes that can be used to start a new yard or add more plants to an existing one.

What has been your biggest challenge so far in this business?
Time spent weeding 1.25 acres. However, Kurt has a new system with a flamethrower and weed eater that could be our golden ticket.

Do you have any successes you’d like to share?
With some help from David at Piedmont Hops we have clippings from this spring that are currently 10 feet tall and producing burrs. This really helps expand the yard and helps keep costs down. Also, the early sale of 50 pounds to Alewerks is a pretty nice success.

This burr will mature into a cone, the flower of the female hop plant that is used to flavor beer.

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In addition to working with Alewerks and Hardywood, Devon and Kurt have literally brought their hops to the table, providing early-spring shoots from their plants to The Tobacco Company Restaurant in Richmond for a dish made with espresso-rubbed veal and allagash white ale cream. Furthermore, Huguenot Hops was recently featured in “The Beer Guy” column in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Devon and Kurt will also make an appearance in an upcoming documentary about the brewing industry, From Grain to Growler, alongside several fellow growers.

Huguenot Hops utilizes the support and resources offered by Virginia Cooperative Extension and their county agricultural agent in Chesterfield, Mike Likins. Although North Carolina State University is the regional leader in hops research, Extension resources for Virginia hops growers are expanding. The soil testing lab at Virginia Tech now has a crop code for hops so that growers can get accurate fertilizer recommendations for their yards, and the university has also initiated a hops testing service that will facilitate hop marketing and inform brewers about the levels of alpha acids and other compounds in their purchased hop cones. Virginia Cooperative Extension’s county agricultural agents work with Kurt, Devon, and other growers around the state with insect and disease identification, pest control recommendations, and crop management recommendations.

Additional Resource for Readers:
Huguenot Hops Webpage
Huguenot Hops Facebook page
Old Dominion Hops Cooperative
North Carolina Hops Project
The Beer Guy article in the Times-Dispatch about Virginia hops
From Grain to Growler Documentary
Virginia Cooperative Extension – Chesterfield County (find your local office and agents here)

Meet Huguenot Hops.

Posted on December 12, 2013 by laurab08

The Midlothian yard is owned and operated by Kurt Stanfield and his business partner Devon Kistler. 2013 was their first year growing hops as a commercial venture, but the results have been good and they have begun to increase the size of the yard and set up new plots for the upcoming season. Kurt and Devon work alongside fellow growers in the state and members of the Old Dominion Hops Cooperative who enjoy swapping ideas, networking with brewers, and helping one another at harvest time.

This year, Huguenot Hops grew the Cascade variety, which appeared to make it through the wet, humid summer unscathed by problems like downy mildew that can sometimes haunt hops in Virginia and North Carolina. Perhaps that is due in part to the yard’s unique trellis design. Rather than training the hops to grow in parallel vertical lines, Kurt and Devon arranged them in an open V-shape and spaced them to allow for plenty of airflow. They train each bine to grow clockwise up the twine towards the top of the trellis. However, they are still perfecting their support system design and have plans to make some adjustments to the cables and poles in the new plots that will be used to grow the Nugget and Zeus varieties next year.

Kurt and Devon are planning to take soil tests on the existing yard and the new ground so that they can amend the soil pH and nutrient levels accordingly. Like any crop, hops need sufficient levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to remain productive. The yard is also working on perfecting their weed control system using ground covers like mulch and cloth. In addition to suppressing weeds, covers like mulch help the soil retain its moisture. Moisture control is critical in hops, and during most summers the plants require irrigation to supplement rainfall.

Hops growers can start yards with rhizomes, cuttings, and field-ready plants from other growers. The hops grow each year out of the crown at the soil level. In order to ensure that only the best bines grow up on the trellis, Kurt and Devon cut the regrowth several times early in the season. This helps remove any shoots that may carry certain diseases and eliminates any possible “bull shoots,” or shoots that are not ultimately productive.

Kurt and Devon hope to harvest one and a half to two pounds of hops per year from each plant that has been growing for two or three years. Because hand-harvest of a sizeable yard requires ladders, lots of time, and a small army of volunteers, they are considering the possibility of turning to a mechanical harvester that strips the cones off the bines. What else does the future hold for Huguenot Hops? Some new practices and improved trellises seem to be in the cards, and if all goes well, plenty of local hops will make their way into Virginia brews in the coming years.

Additional Resources for Readers:

North Carolina Hops Project

Huguenot Hops Webpage

Old Dominion Hops Cooperative Webpage

Meet the Bowmans, makers of sorghum molasses.

Posted on October 10, 2013 by laurab08

Molasses-making has become a rare art, but a few Virginians still carry on the old homesteading practice using sorghum, a plant that came from Africa and is used in various forms for grain, biofuel, and silage. The molasses that shows up on store shelves is made from sugar canes or sugar beets, and technically the thick, sweet product created from the sorghum plant is “sorghum syrup.” However, the traditional title of “sorghum molasses” still stands amongst many producers and the two names are sometimes used interchangeably. “Sweet sorghum” is the moniker used to categorize the unique varieties chosen for molasses-making that have more stalk juice and sugars than the forage or grain sorghum varieties do.

Grain from the head of the sorghum plant is saved for seed.

Sorghum looks similar to corn when it begins to grow. Sweet sorghum varieties grow particularly tall. The plants develop heads containing seeds, which are cut off prior to harvest so that the stalk juices remain high in sugar. Sugar content in the stalks drops as the seed heads become more and more mature. Some seed heads are saved for the next years’ crop. Seed-saving is important because certain sweet sorghum seeds have become rather rare and some growers have to cross state lines to seek out particular varieties.

Once the stalks have grown up and the plant is mature enough to cut, the molasses-making crowd must assemble. Molasses-making tends to be a community affair, after all, and the more hands to cut, haul, carry, and stir the molasses, the better. The harvest must take place before a fall frost hits because sorghum, like corn, is a summer crop that does not tolerate cold weather. This year, Don and Betty Bowman of central Virginia invited friends and neighbors to their sorghum harvest as they have done for many years in the past. There is usually so much sorghum to cut that the family gets started in the field the evening before molasses-making day, and this year was no exception. The next day, volunteers finish cutting down the last of the stalks and loading them onto a wagon that carries them to the mill site. An early start is key because the sorghum takes nearly all day to complete. The 2013 effort was already in full swing by 8:00 AM on molasses day.

Once the wagonloads of sorghum are driven back to the molasses-making site, the extraction process begins. In the past, the Bowmans fed the stalks into a horse-drawn mill, and then they made a technological leap by powering the mill with a lawn tractor. Mrs. Bowman humorously recalls having to sit on the ground to feed stalks into the mill while it was running so that it would not hit her in the head each time it circled around. According to Mrs. Bowman, this method still required upwards of three hours to complete, so the family came up with an even better solution and began to power their mill with a belt running off a stationary tractor.

As the canes are crushed in the rollers, juice is screened and collected into a bucket which connects to a tube that transports the juice downhill to the vat station. Here, the juice does not immediately enter the vat. First, it travels through another series of screens that prevent fibers and plant particles from staying in the juice as it fills the vat. The vat that the Bowmans use is a batch-type system that cooks one large pan of juice at once. Some producers use a “continuous flow” system that gradually creates molasses as juice travels through a series of compartments.

Boiling does not begin until all the stalks have been fed through the mill and extraction is complete. The vat is set over a fire pit that is lit and monitored closely to ensure that the temperatures are appropriate. Volunteers keep the fire hot so that the juice will begin to boil. At this time, someone must stir the vat and agitate the bottom so that the sorghum does not burn. Once the juice reaches a full boil, people take turns skimming proteins and coagulated components off the top surface of the juice. If the fire gets too hot, the juice boils too high and overflows.

These tools were fashioned for skimming juice in the vat.

The boiling and skimming step is the longest part of the process. It can take nearly all day, and sometimes can last into the night. The fire continues to keep the vat boiling which kills bacteria and cooks more and more water out of the juice. When the sorghum nears the right temperature and density, the fire is cut back and the final skimming continues. The Bowmans have found that overcooking or undercooking leads to a lower-quality product, so they occasionally put their finished product back on the fire pit for more boiling or they add water and reboil the vat to thin molasses that has gotten too thick. The finished vat cools a bit, and then the Bowmans transfer the molasses to a metal tank with a shutoff valve that allows them to bottle it more easily.

This year’s quarter-acre sorghum plot yielded about nine gallons of finished molasses. Typically it takes 6-12 gallons of raw juice to cook into one gallon of sorghum molasses. What happens to the crushed, discarded sorghum plant material? The Bowmans let their cattle access the pile, and the cows eat the stalks with enthusiasm.

Finished sorghum molasses has a golden-brown hue and is enjoyed as a sweetener on biscuits and desserts. Virginia’s sorghum molasses makers might be scattered across the state, but the families who continue the practice seem to universally enjoy a rich tradition of sharing and fellowship with the many friends and neighbors who visit year after year to help.

Spike the helper dog thinks that supervising molasses making is hard work.

Additional Resources for Readers:

Processing Sweet Sorghum for Syrup

Sweet Sorghum for Syrup

National Sweet Sorghum Producers & Processors Association Webpage

Meet David Goode.

Posted on September 12, 2013 by laurab08

He operates Piedmont Hops, LLC in Mosely along with Steve Brown, who runs the other part of the business at a site located in North Carolina.

David and Steve began growing hops for their personal use a few years ago, but the project quickly grew. Today, they supply hops to breweries who strive to include more locally-grown products in their craft beers.

Growing hops in central Virginia has its challenges. Most varieties are designed to provide maximum yields under the day lengths, temperatures, and growing conditions of the states in the Pacific Northwest, where most of the hops production in the U.S. occurs. Why are there so few hops growers in Virginia? For one, growers in this area must select varieties that are better suited to Piedmont weather, soils, and growing conditions. Furthermore, the warm, humid summers in Virginia can be particularly conducive to the growth of certain diseases that prey on hops. For these reasons, David and other growers have turned to help from the North Carolina Hops project, an effort run by North Carolina State University faculty and specialists. Research data from this project helps Virginia and North Carolina growers choose varieties and growing practices that suit this region. If the market for local hops grows in Virginia, plant breeders may be able to make more progress towards developing varieties that suit local needs and resist local diseases.

David has enjoyed trying different varieties. This year, he had Cascade, Chinook, and Nugget. Next year, he plans to add a few more varieties and increase the total number of plants in the Virginia and North Carolina yards. His hops grow on bines—not to be confused with vines—that climb up strings supported by wires and cedar posts. New and aspiring hops growers may find that these trellis components are responsible for a large percentage of the input costs for starting a yard. Furthermore, growers need materials like drip tape for irrigation and weed cloth to start a yard. Labor is also a costly input, as it can take an hour or more to harvest one pound of hops by hand. Harvest typically occurs in late summer, although certain varieties differ. During the spring and summer, growers will spend a considerable amount of time working on weed control, training hops to climb the lines, and repairing any broken supports.

Despite the challenges, hops production has been a worthwhile venture for David. He has had the rewarding experience of watching his hops go from the farm to the consumer. Furthermore, as is true in most business ventures, David has found networking with others to be a valuable use of his time. He has helped other growers with their yards, and in turn, growers have visited his farm to harvest hops and swap ideas.

What is next for Piedmont Hops? David is thinking of ways to address the labor requirements that come with an increase in acreage, and he is looking into some ideas for preventing and controlling any fungal diseases that may show up in the future. His work and the work of his colleagues may help turn hops from an impossible challenge for Virginia growers to a successful venture for those who are willing to learn and adapt. Additional Resources for Readers: