Hops Farm Also Hosts Weddings

Hops Farm Also Hosts Weddings AG WORLD The name Hoppily Ever After Farm perfectly captures the unusual business combo that Scott and Shannon Schwabe offer - a wedding venue that grows hops Just beginning their third season the Michigan entrepreneurs admit they have lots to learn about the labor-intensive work of growing hops but their location near the 45th parallel makes Michigan a great place for growing the perennials used in making beer “The Michigan brewing industry is really growing and they are getting their hops from out-of-state ” Shannon Schwabe says Since Michigan once had many successful hops farms she and her husband hope to be part of bringing that back There is a need and opportunity to provide fresh hops and other products and services With help from Michigan extension the couple started small and currently have 3 acres of hops on their 45-acre property They purchased a 35 hp tractor cultivated the soil to build up the hills to plant and dug an irrigation pond “Hops are grown from rhizomes or cuttings ” Schwabe explains “We purchased established plants from other Michigan farmers who do the propagation ” With more than 100 varieties to choose from Scott who is a home brewer researched the market and selected 2 bittering and 2 aroma hops varieties Hops grow on a 20-ft tall trellis system After cutting the initial growth back in the spring hops plants are trained to grow up the strings Throughout the summer side shoots are pruned and the area is weeded Near the end of August through mid-September when the hops are at about 23 percent dry matter the Schwabes rent time from another farm that owns a Wolf Hop Harvester Strings holding the climbing stems are cut and they’re fed into the harvester that separates the hops from the stems The Schwabes take their hops to a local farm for drying and processing “If not dried and stored properly they will mold and go bad ” Schwabe says Some of the hops are sold fresh to small batch brewers but most are baled and pelletized at a processing facility 65 miles away The Schwabes can have the processor sell the hops or they can pay for the processing and sell them on their own So far harvests have been small - 50 lbs the first year and 500 lbs in 2018 - but they will get larger each year “It takes plants 3 to 5 years to mature ” she says “And the initial investment is big You’re looking at $15 000 per acre to get started not including processing ” Growing hops is very labor intensive with weed control as the biggest challenge since they avoid using herbicides Along with their day jobs the Schwabes care for the hops through the summer Family and friends help in the spring and at harvest and a manager takes care of the wedding venue side of the business “I’ve been in the wedding industry as a photographer for 10 years and hops are a great backdrop They’re an amazing plant ” Schwabe says adding that they also sell hop stems to local florists They held a home brewers festival last year and expected about 50 people More than 200 people came and the Schwabes plan to have another festival this year Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Scott and Shannon Schwabe Hoppily Ever After Farms Cottrellville Township Mich www hoppilyeverafterfarms com; shannon@clickingthroughlife com

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