Look out, Pacific Northwest. Florida has a thirst for some competition. And the key could be greenhouses. Perhaps, another option for landowners searching for diversity?
There is a new study underway at the University of Florida to find out whether greenhouses can help the Sunshine State overcome weather challenges to turn a novelty crop into something more.
Craft brewers need hops. But hops aren’t easy to grow in Florida. Researchers at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences hope they have found some help for hops.
“This has never been done in Florida,” said Katherine Thompson-Witrick, Assistant Professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Florida.
She is also the leader of the study to determine whether growing hops in greenhouses can solve the state’s production challenge. The southeast part of the United States has not been a player in the industry. Washington is top for hops.
2023 Top Hop Production of U.S. Crops by State
1. Washington: 74%
2. Idaho: 16%
3. Oregon: 10%
The top three states have a geographical advantage over states like Florida in the southeast. The study explained that one of the differences is available sunlight:
“Hops grow best when afforded at least 16 hours of sunlight, which is available at latitudes of 35 degrees and above; Florida’s uppermost latitude reaches just 31 degrees.”
The study looks at whether greenhouses can more closely mimic the opportunities in the Pacific Northwest, along with the success. Taste and smell will be vital.
“Their objective is to develop cultivation practices that maximize aromatic and flavor characteristics comparable to those associated with traditional craft beer-brewing regions like Yakima Valley in Washington,” read the university’s announcement about the study.
Yakima Valley is known as a prominent wine-growing region in the Pacific Northwest. But it is also a premier place for hops. “It is the only region in the world in which a farmer can plant cuttings in the spring and expect a full harvest in autumn,” according to Yakima Valley Tourism, “…because of this, the farmers in the region can react more quickly to changes in the marketplace.”
The area contains 75% of total hop acreage in the country. Florida’s greenhouses have their work cut out for them, but they are optimistic about progress so far. See the early results from the University of Florida study here.
