One renowned tradition of the Florida Ag Expo is the field tours. After the seminar sessions, the Expo will conclude with two field tours starting at 2:15 and 2:30 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity to tour the hop yard and taste local craft beer at the end of the tour.
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC) has been home to the hop yard studies since 2016.
“The projects started in 2016. It began by trying to see if we can grow hops here in our environment, and we found out quickly that they did not grow well,” says Shinsuke Agehara, associate professor at UF/IFAS GCREC. “In 2019, we changed to trick the hops into thinking they have optimal conditions. Now, we are able to get more than 95% of the commercial yield.”
Agehara and his team are testing more than 20 hop varieties. He says the best performing variety is Cascade. “That is the one that I am growing to optimize production,” says Agehara. “Other varieties that are performing okay are Zeus, Nugget and Comet.”
UF/IFAS has started a breeding program and is making progress toward new Florida-friendly varieties.
“To make this a commercially viable crop, we have to promote the uniqueness and opportunity of this crop to growers and craft brewers. We are trying to work with local brewers more and provide our hops so they can test the brew and give us feedback,” says Agehara. “It is not an easy crop. I hope we can maximize the yield so we can show the potential of this crop.”
Register now for the 2023 Florida Ag Expo and taste the beer for yourself. Registration is complimentary for commercial growers. All preregistered growers are eligible for a chance to win a John Deere gun safe, courtesy of Everglades Equipment Group.
Looking to get in front of the industry’s top growers? Don’t miss the chance to exhibit at the new and improved Florida Ag Expo. If you would like to exhibit at the event, please fill out a registration form.
A complete seminar program will be available soon. To learn more, visit FloridaAgExpo.net.