Getting Started

Use the resources listed below to help you get started with your hop production. Want to receive more information on hop production and details about upcoming MSU hop events? Sign up to receive the Michigan State University Digest or follow us on Facebook at Michigan State University Hop News.

NEW! Hop Production in the Midwest and Eastern North America Online Course Now Available.

Join experts from the Great Lakes Hop Working Group for this self-paced, comprehensive introductory course on hop production in reemerging regions of North America including the Plains, Great Lakes and Northeast. This online, on-demand hop production course includes a primer on the hop market, economic considerations, yard design and establishment, current production practices and postharvest handling. You can preview the first course module for free at Media Space.

The cost to register is $50 and includes all course content. Pesticide recertification credits are available for Michigan applicators. A certificate of completion is available upon completion of all course work. Scholarships are available, contact Erin Lizotte at taylo548@msu.edu for more information.

Click here for registration instructions and technical assistance info.

Commercial crop overview

Getting started with hops: Webinar Recording
Challenges and Opportunities for Organic Hop Production in the United States, Agronomy Journal, Volume 103, Issue 6, 2011

Cost of production

Hopyard establishment

Cultivars and genetics

Construction

Hopyard Construction, Dr. Rob Sirrine, Michigan State University
Trellis Cost Budget, University of Minnesota

Irrigation

Hops Irrigation Best Practices in the Midwest Great Lakes Region, Chris Lattak, Trickl-eez
Setting Up Irrigation in Your Hopyard, YouTube video by University of Vermont Extension

Postharvest

Hop Drying and Conditioning, Dr. Val Peacock, Hop Quality Group
Hop Pellets, Dr. Val Peacock, Hop Quality Group

Hobby production

Growing Hops in the Backyard, William Bamka and Ed Dager, Rutgers Cooperative Research and Extension
Growing Hops in New England, Leonard P. Perry, University of Vermont Extension