Oregon Hop Farmers Face Crop Declines of -18% Due to a Decline in Craft Beer Sales
With the 2024 hop harvest about to begin, many of the nation’s hop farmers, including those here in Oregon, are facing a significant decline in this year’s hop harvest. This 18% decline of hops coincides with the declines that are also taking place in the craft beer industry. It also marks the second consecutive year of such declines along with the excessive amounts of hops that are currently sitting in warehouses.
This news on the hop harvest comes courtesy of The Oregon Beverage Alliance, a trade group that’s made up of local brewers, winemakers, cidermakers, distillers and their supply and hospitality partners creating hundreds of thousands of jobs. The group is also the one behind the website www.DontTaxMyDrink.org.
“Beer is usually only four ingredients – water, malt, yeast and hops, which makes the quality of those ingredients all the more important,” said Sam Pecoraro, brewmaster at Von Ebert Brewing and Secretary of the Oregon Brewers Guild, in a statement. “We’re lucky to be in the Northwest where nearly all of America’s hops are grown but with beer sales down across the country, that significantly impacts our local agricultural community as well as brewers.”
According to U.S. Department of Agriculture, hop acreage decreased nationally by -18% from 2023, and that’s true for Oregon hop growers, who are also down -18% compared to last year. Oregon is the third largest hop producing state going from more than 7,000 acres in 2022 to now just 5,500 acres, only behind Washington and Idaho.
“It’s been tough to say the least with the Oregon hop harvest down -12% last year and now -18% this year,” said fourth generation hop farmer Erica Lorentz of Sodbuster Farms, in a statement. “Sometimes it’s simply a variety of hop going out of style, but now all hops are down because of declining beer sales.”
Oregon is home to over 300 breweries and these breweries generate more than $8.7 billion in economic output, $2.8 billion in wages and help create 50,000 jobs in the state, of those nearly 1,300 are Oregon agriculture jobs. But craft beer sales are down -2.1% halfway through 2024 according to the U.S. Brewers Association.
About The Author
DJ
D.J. is a Portland, Oregon based writer that spent his formative years in the Midwest. With over 25 years under his belt of drinking beer at festivals across America and the world, he has developed a strong appreciation and understanding of craft beer and the industry that surrounds it. He can be found in any of the great breweries or beer bars that make Portland the best beer city in the world. His writing can also be found in the archives of Northwest Brewing News and can be followed on Twitter and Instagram at @hopapalooza.