Buying the Farm

[Robusto]

Hi all-
I have a few hop questions for you guys. The house that we are buying is currently zoned as farm land and to keep the tax break we have to grow something and sell it, so I’m thinking hops among other things. My questions is, what would be the best hops to grow? I’m thinking high yielding breeds that are more disease and pest resistance. I did a bit of research and it seems that Cascade, Chinook, Willamette, etc… But which verities do you guys think will be most in demand and the easiest to sell to the local micro’s or home brew clubs?

 

[Kirkwooder]

Grow the variety that you use the most! Growing hops is extremely labor intensive if you don't have hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment. Almost every market for your crop will want the hops to be pelletized and tested for acid contents. It costs around $10,000 an acre to get started. To add to that commercially grown hops are cheap, if you are looking for a hobby that you are likely to loose money AT , hops are fairly easy to grow.

You might want to start with a plant or two just to see what you are getting yourself into.

Then look into raising some chickens.

 

[broadbill]

My best recommendation would be to farm/grow/cultivate whatever allows you to do the BARE MINIMUM that lets you keep your tax break. Can you grow grass and contract a local farmer to hay it for you? Does that count?

Starting a farm, especially for crop like hops that require intensive methods of cultivation (trellising, picking, etc.), just to get a tax break is a special kind of crazy/stupid; if the humble opinion of someone who grew up and working on farms.

You can't half-ass farming, generally speaking.

 

[Robusto]

Starting a farm, especially for crop like hops that require intensive methods of cultivation (trellising, picking, etc.), just to get a tax break is a special kind of crazy/stupid; if the humble opinion of someone who grew up and working on farms.

Thanks guys,
I know that there are startup costs and that it’s a lot of work to plant the rhizomes, tend to them while they are growing, and to harvest and dry them, but the “farm” tax break amounts to almost $20,000, so, I don’t care if it costs a few grand to get started. We also plan to grow pumpkins and will plant some fruit trees, but I like the idea of growing hops.

Also, keeping the farm status will allow for me to start a nano/ micro brewery in the future with much lower expenses and more flexibility.

 

[brian4508]

We have a 2 acre hop farm (and growing) and you really have to love doing it. There are days/chores you really dread. Also, every turn is an addition expense (irrigation, fertilizers, equipment, etc). However, for us, the rewards are great. We love knowing WE DID THIS AND ARE DOING IT. It has become a second full time job for 3/4 of the year. If you have the funds, but more importantly the work ethic, than it worth a try by starting small and building up. My 2c


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[B-Hoppy]

You can't half-ass farming, generally speaking.

". . . generally speaking". Yes. But if one of the carrots being dangled is a big tax break, your crop's poor performance would help assure you wouldn't show a profit. There's a few folks I know that actually make a 'half-assed' attempt at growing hops for that reason alone. Also, if your inputs from other things you raise can make you a little $$, the profit situation could be a wash (lose on the hops and make some on the pumpkins).

As a potential customer, I would like to see something new and exciting to buy from a local grower as I (and most other brewers) can source most of the mainstream varieties for maybe $5-$10/pound. Lots of research to be done to make it work out for you. Best wishes~

 

[Robusto]

if you are looking for a hobby that you are likely to loose money AT , hops are fairly easy to grow.

You might want to start with a plant or two just to see what you are getting yourself into.

yeah... I don't care if I lose a little money to keep the zoning.

I currently have 8 Cascade, 4 Hallertau, 4 Tettnanger, and 2 Magnum plants that I have had very good luck with, especially the Cascades- they each gave me about 1.5 lbs last year dried. The Magnum yielded about .75 lbs each and the Hallertau & Tettnanger about .5 lbs each.

 

[Kirkwooder]

I would seriously look into adding poultry to any hop operation that you start. If you pick a good free ranging breed and put some good fencing around your hop yard, they will help keep the grass and bugs under control. The chicken **** is very high in nitrogen as well, hops really need a ton of nitrogen. The eggs are also an easy retailable product with a low start up cost/high profit margin. When free ranged, feed costs for a sizable laying flock, are surprising small.

Turkeys also are a good money maker, and are pretty easy to raise. If you are in an area that has a good farm market, people will pay premium prices for free ranged turkeys, chickens, and eggs.

 

[Trox]

I would seriously look into adding poultry to any hop operation that you start. If you pick a good free ranging breed and put some good fencing around your hop yard, they will help keep the grass and bugs under control. The chicken **** is very high in nitrogen as well, hops really need a ton of nitrogen. The eggs are also an easy retailable product with a low start up cost/high profit margin. When free ranged, feed costs for a sizable laying flock, are surprising small.

Turkeys also are a good money maker, and are pretty easy to raise. If you are in an area that has a good farm market, people will pay premium prices for free ranged turkeys, chickens, and eggs.

And you can feed the ckickens the spent grain from your all grain batches; "But dear I have to brew more beer, the chickens need some more food".

 

[GVH_Dan]

...“farm” tax break amounts to almost $20,000, so, I don’t care if it costs a few grand to get started...

As others have said, it would be a "few" grand, it will be $10k/acre (1,000-1,200 plants/acre) + well if no other water around + tractor + tower + dryer + + + I understand the idea is neat but make sure you are realistic. If you are going into it for the tax break, put up a couple of rows, give yourself a huge spacing between plants, whatever it takes to get the tax break and be honest with yourself that you are not going to be growing the hops for a profit. Then you won't be disappointed.

If you actually intend to make money off the hops, don't worry about what the brewer's want. They are pretty fickle and change from year to year. Grow 2 or 3 varieties that you have seen do well for you. If you grow them , pick them and process them properly, the brewers will figure out a recipe to use them in.

Just a thought, will they accept Christmas tree farming? I know a guy who did that. Now he has a nice little evergreen patch and its still "Ag" land.

 

[rskelhorn]

I found this thread interesting:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f92/new-100-rhizome-hop-farm-400000/

May want to speak to the OP, sounds like he had no problem selling off the harvest without getting all of the fancy gear etc.

 

[dobe12]

My best recommendation would be to farm/grow/cultivate whatever allows you to do the BARE MINIMUM that lets you keep your tax break. Can you grow grass and contract a local farmer to hay it for you? Does that count?

Starting a farm, especially for crop like hops that require intensive methods of cultivation (trellising, picking, etc.), just to get a tax break is a special kind of crazy/stupid; if the humble opinion of someone who grew up and working on farms.

You can't half-ass farming, generally speaking.

I would agree 100%. My brew club recently had a quest speaker, the owner of a local farm who grows hops. He's 5-6 years in and it's still a major monetary loss every year. He can justify it with the profits from other areas of his farm, but he openly admitted that it's extremely difficult to make money growing and selling hops. The yield is just too low and harvesting is very labor intensive. It's nearly impossible to compete with the big farms and their pricing. Not saying you are trying to compete, but if looking to turn a profit... you may want to look somewhere else.