Perennial herbaceous climbing plant grown for aromatic cones used in brewing. Suitable for Zones 4-8 with good drainage, irrigation, and disease management. Hops require a minimum of 120 frost-free days and at least 15 hours of daylight during peak growth.
Crop Snowflake Score
/acre
/acre
/acre
years
Overview
Hops (Humulus lupulus) are dioecious perennial bines (not vines — they climb via stiff hairs rather than tendrils) that can grow 15-25 feet per season on a trellis system. Only female plants produce the cone-shaped strobiles used in brewing. Rhizomes are planted in early spring, 2 per hill with buds pointed up, covered by 1 inch of loose soil. Plants require very well-drained soils; wet root systems can be fatal. Commercial trellis systems typically use 18-foot poles with heavy-gauge wire. First-year yields are minimal; full production begins in year 3. Plants require significant water during June-July rapid growth phase. Harvest occurs when cones feel papery and lupulin (yellow powder) is visible, typically mid-August through mid-September. Cones must be dried to 8-10% moisture within 24 hours of harvest. Major diseases include downy mildew, powdery mildew, and verticillium wilt. Primary US varieties: Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and Willamette.
Growing Season
- Plant
- Early spring after last frost – Late spring
- Harvest
- Mid Aug - mid Sep – Mid Aug - mid Sep
- Frost-free days
- 120+
Yield
- Typical yield
- 800 lbs dry hops/acre
- Productive lifespan
- 25 years
- Years to full prod.
- 3
- Labor
- 150 hrs/acre
Market Fit
Active Regional Buyers
1 active buyer on record purchasing this crop.
Price Trend Stable/Up
3-year price trend recorded as "stable".
Supply Below Demand
Only 1 of 4 documented channels rate viability "strong" — not enough to establish that regional demand would absorb additional supply.
Multiple Buyer Channels
2 of 4 documented market channels rate viable or better (wholesale, restaurant). Thin — dependent on few outlets.
Value-Added Potential
1 viable direct-market channel (restaurant). Limited direct-market routes; value chiefly captured at wholesale.
Market Growth Projected
Specialty herb segment; consumer demand for regionally grown specialty produce has been expanding.
Market Channels
Climate Fit
Hardiness Zone Match
Crop tolerates zones 4-8; region spans 5-6. Overlaps.
GDD Sufficient
Crop GDD minimum not recorded. Region accumulates 2500+ GDD (base 50F), sufficient for most temperate crops.
Precipitation Compatible
Crop needs ~26 in; region receives ~38 in/yr. Compatible, irrigation available as supplement.
Frost-Free Season OK
Crop needs 120 frost-free days; region provides ~180. Sufficient.
Chill Hours Met
Perennial. Region's zone 5-6 winters deliver well over 1,000 chill hours, ample for temperate perennials.
Climate Trend Favorable
Crop spans 5 hardiness zones (4-8). Wide adaptive range buffers against warming trend.
Fit by region
The farm matcher, run on each region's cited climate normals. Soil and site are not included here; add your own on the match page.
Limited by high-severity risks. 6 criteria evaluated, 1 not yet researched; 80% cited.
Limited by high-severity risks. 6 criteria evaluated, 1 not yet researched; 80% cited.
Limited by high-severity risks. 6 criteria evaluated, 1 not yet researched; 80% cited.
Climate envelope & site
What the farm matcher compares your conditions against.
Climate envelope
- Hardiness zone
- 4–8
- Frost-free season
- 120+ days
- Heat (GDD base 50°F)
- not yet recorded
- Winter chill
- none required
- Rainfall
- 15.7–51.2 in/yr
Below the minimum, irrigation is needed; above the maximum the crop fails.
- Soil pH target
- 6.0–7.0
Extension lime target; within 1.0 of it is correctable.
Site & structure
- Spring frost at bloom
- not yet recorded
- Needs cold-air drainage
- yes — avoid frost pockets
- Shade tolerance
- none — full sun
- Mature height
- 25 ft
- Rooting depth
- 36 in
- Wind exposure tolerance
- low
- Workable slope
- not yet recorded
Height, rooting depth and shade tolerance are the inputs an alley or guild layout needs.
Soil Compatibility
Soil Texture
Drainage
Infrastructure Fit
Equipment Compatible
5 of 9 documented equipment items are crop-specific (56%) against a catalog median of 29%. Above-median share of purpose-built equipment, implying real capital outlay.
Storage Available
3 documented storage routes; at least one (Dried bundles/buds (airtight, dark, cool)) is reachable with conventional on-farm or third-party facilities.
Irrigation Compatible
Requires ~26 in. Deliverable with conventional drip or overhead irrigation.
Field Layout Suitable
Suited to the small-to-mid-size fragmented parcels typical of the region.
Labor Availability
Labor requirement not recorded. Catalog 75th percentile is 250 hr/ac.
Processing Proximity
1 processor/cooperative buyer on record for this crop.
Equipment Requirements
planting
Needed for cultivation, spraying, and pulling implements between hop rows.
Per-acre cost for poles, cables, and anchors. 18-ft trellis is standard; the core capital investment for hops.
Coir/sisal twine re-strung annually; specialized stringing pole (W-clip method) speeds spring stringing.
irrigation
Per-acre; essential in arid production regions. Humid regions may use drip for fertigation even if rainfall is adequate.
spraying
Tall-crop air-blast sprayer needed to reach tops of 18-ft bines. Critical for downy mildew and spider mite control.
harvesting
Stationary harvester for small-medium farms; bines are cut and fed in. Larger farms use self-propelled harvesters ($300k+).
post_harvest
Dries cones from 75-80% to 8-10% moisture at 140°F. Undried hops spoil within hours of harvest.
T-90 pellets are the brewery-preferred form; pelletizer, hammer mill, and nitrogen-flushed packaging required for commercial sales.
Hops lose alpha acids rapidly above freezing; refrigerated, low-oxygen storage is essential to preserve brewing value.
Storage Requirements
Frozen (hemp oil/kernel)
Temperature
25–32°F
Max Storage
730 days
Dried bundles/buds (airtight, dark, cool)
Temperature
32–40°F
Max Storage
365 days
Essential oil (dark glass, sealed)
Temperature
50–70°F
Max Storage
730 days
Financial Return
Revenue Above Average
Gross revenue $8,000/ac vs catalog median $6,000/ac. Above median.
Input Costs Acceptable
Input cost not recorded; not penalising. Catalog 75th percentile is $6,300/ac.
Payback Period OK
Reaches full production in 3 years. Acceptable payback.
Insurance Available
Federal crop insurance or an equivalent risk product is available.
Revenue Per Labor Hour
Cannot compute — labor hours not recorded. Catalog median is $13.16/hr.
Grants/Subsidies
Herb crops are eligible under the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
Economics Breakdown
| Avg Price/Unit | $10/per lb dried pelleted |
| Gross Revenue/Acre | $8,000 |
| Annual Operating Cost | —/acre |
| Establishment Cost | $12,000/acre |
| Total Input Cost | —/acre |
| Net Return/Acre | $2,000 |
| Revenue/Labor Hour | — |
| Crop Insurance | Available |
Source: Cornell Cooperative Extension, Penn State Extension, USDA RMA, regional budget studies (2025)
Risk Profile
Manageable Pest/Disease
6 of 10 documented risks are high-severity (60%) against a catalog median of 36%. Above-median concentration of high-severity risk, demanding intensive management.
Market Diversified
2 viable market channels of 4 documented, plus 1 named buyer. Concentrated — losing one outlet would strand the crop.
Low Establishment Risk
3 years to full production at $12,000/ac establishment cost. Multi-year capital commitment before first full return.
Climate Resilient
Tolerates zones 4-8 (5 zones). Broad tolerance indicates resilience to seasonal variability.
Regulatory Burden Low
No crop-specific licensing or reporting regime beyond standard food-safety and pesticide rules.
Diversifies Portfolio
Adds a herb revenue stream distinct from the region's grape-dominated base.
Known Risks
disease
Most economically damaging hops disease. Causes spike-shaped distorted basal shoots in spring and brown angular lesions on leaves and cones, killing yield in wet seasons.
White powdery growth on leaves, bines, and cones. Severe infections render cones unsalable to brewers and reduce alpha acid content.
Soilborne fungus causing yellowing and wilt. Persistent in soil for 10+ years; can cause field abandonment in chronic infestations.
pest
Sap-sucking pest that colonizes leaves and cones; honeydew supports sooty mold that ruins cone quality. Can develop resistance to insecticides quickly.
Hot dry conditions favor explosive population growth. Stippling and bronzing of leaves, cone damage at high densities. A flagship pest in trellised hopyards.
Adults skeletonize leaves and chew cones in mid-summer. Most damaging on younger yards.
weather
Mid-summer hail can shred leaves and bruise developing cones, reducing both yield and quality. Hail-damaged cones may be rejected by aroma-focused breweries.
Mature hopyards carry several tons of biomass per acre on an 18-foot trellis. Severe windstorms can collapse poles and cables, destroying both crop and infrastructure.
market
Hops demand is concentrated in a small number of aroma varieties tied to craft beer style trends. The 2018-2024 craft brewery growth slowdown produced visible aroma-hop oversupply, depressing spot prices below cost of production for some growers.
regulatory
Many high-demand aroma cultivars (Citra, Mosaic, Galaxy, etc.) are proprietary and restricted to licensed growers. Unlicensed propagation is a contractual and IP risk.
Nutritional Yield
Nutrition data pending.
Research agents will profile Hops against USDA FoodData Central on the next maintenance pass. Per-acre nutritional yield will appear here once the per-100g panel is recorded.
Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem service data pending.
The next research-agent rotation will document this crop's contributions to pollinator support, soil health, water quality, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration.
Cultivars
Named varieties and what the sources say sets each apart. A cultivar-specific zone, chill or maturity figure overrides the species value above.
Grows With / Avoid Near
Documented interactions with other catalog crops — shared pests, allelopathy, rotation effects, alley and understory pairings — for companion, guild and rotation planning. Plan a combination with Hops →
Avoid near, or plan around (5)
Direction matters: a rotation benefit of A before B says nothing about B before A. Interactions are documented pairs only; absence is a research gap, not a clean bill.
Nearby Buyers
Data Sources
Every data point on this page is traceable to its source. Below you'll find the complete provenance trail — which sources were used, when data was last verified, and a full change history.
Primary sources: Data sourced from Cornell Cooperative Extension, Penn State Extension, USDA resources, and regional research.
Economics data year: 2025 · Basis: lake erie
67 tracked changes across 10 data categories