Hops Field Day will offer attendees guidelines on hops production, including how to market the crop to breweries, control pests, irrigate and fertilize the soil.

Ohio has over 300 craft breweries open or awaiting permit approval, and most of the current ones buy their hops from growers outside Ohio, so there’s potential for Ohio growers to supply those breweries.

Hops grow on vines and their flowers/seed cones are used to make beer, adding bitterness, aroma and antibacterial qualities.

Getting into hops production can be costly, but the potential for profit is high. Planting one acre of hops costs a farmer about $20,000 compared to an acre of corn or soybeans, which are well under $1,000 an acre.

Producing hops requires a lot of labor. Though they are perennials and don’t have to be replanted, they have to be trained on a trellis, constantly pruned and hand harvested in a timely fashion.

The Hops Field Day will include a chance to see a galvanized trellis system and a hops harvester machine and to learn the basics of selecting hop plants, pest management, determining production costs and constructing a hop yard.

The field day is $25 per person, $40 for a family of up to three.

Pre-registration is required. To register, contact Charissa Gardner at [email protected] or 740-289-2071, extension 132. The deadline to register is June 13.