Friday, June 18, 2021
CapitalPress.com 7
Northwest hops industry continues to add acres
Craft brewing seeks
bounce-back year
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
YAKIMA, Wash. — To say 2020
was a precarious year for Northwest
hop growers would be a massive
understatement.
Pandemic closures hammered
bars and restaurants, causing an
overall decline in the U.S. beer
market. Then came severe weather
during the hop harvest, with high
winds desiccating ripe cones and
blowing down trellises.
Thick smoke from large wildfi res
also fi lled the skies, sending plants
into early dormancy and reducing
late-season yields.
Despite the challenges, total hop
acreage is up 4% in 2021 across
Washington, Idaho and Oregon, and
industry representatives are cau-
tiously optimistic about a speedy
recovery.
“We’re starting to see things pick-
ing back up,” said Jaki Brophy, com-
Coleman Agriculture
Rows of hops grow in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
munications director for Hop Grow-
ers of America, a trade association
based in Yakima, Wash. “We’re cer-
tainly not back to where we were
before quite yet, but it does look like
things are starting to recover well.”
According to a USDA report
issued June 10, Washington has
60,735 acres of hops strung for har-
vest, an increase of 2,094 acres over
last year. Idaho has 9,784 acres of
hops this year, up 516, and Oregon
has 7,571 acres, up 467.
The total of 60,735 acres is a
record high, though Brophy said
some of those additions are the result
of pre-pandemic planning, and not
new business.
“A lot of this is based on past
demand,” she said. “The sentiment
and estimate at this point is the
increases aren’t necessarily from
recent contracts, but fulfi lling ones
that were previously established.”
Michelle Palacios, administrator
of the Oregon Hops Commission,
said acreage is up in 2021 based on
baby hops that were strung last year
but did not produce a crop.
Unlike Washington and Idaho, it
takes Oregon growers two years to
harvest new hop plants based on the
climate. Those acres are not included
in the USDA’s annual report.
Palacios said more growers in
Oregon are transitioning their acreage
from alpha hop varieties such as Nug-
get to more aroma varieties like Citra
and Centennial, driven by increased
demand among craft brewers.
“Our (increased) acres was abso-
lutely anticipated because of this
variety transition that we’re going
through,” Palacios said. “These
acres were in the ground in 2020, but
we just didn’t get to harvest them.”
Craft brewing has been the pri-
mary catalyst for the growth in hop
acres, Brophy said. Brewers use
more hops per glass in beers such as
pale ales that are rising in popularity
worldwide.
But 2020 was undeniably diffi -
cult for the industry as on-site beer
consumption fell due to COVID-
19. That disproportionately aff ected
craft brewing. While the overall beer
market was down 3% last year, craft
beer volume was down 9%.
Bart Watson, chief economist for
the Brewers Association, which rep-
resents craft breweries, said their
members rely more heavily on draft
and on-site consumption than larger
beer companies such as Anheus-
er-Busch or Molson Coors.
As more people drank beer at
home during the pandemic, Watson
said craft brewers faced a tougher
adjustment.
“Generally, that tradeoff is bad
for craft breweries,” he said.
The beer industry’s struggles rip-
pled back up the supply chain to hop
farms. About 98% of the U.S. crop
comes from the Pacifi c Northwest.
While hop acreage was up in 2020
over 2019, production fell to 104.8
million pounds, according to Hop
Growers of America.
Oregon fee hikes for food safety, livestock and water gain traction
Resources Subcommittee.
Approval by the Ways
and Means Committee is
typically the fi nal step before
budget-related
propos-
als are voted on by the full
Legislature.
Under Senate Bill 32,
which would raise maximum
livestock fees, was recom-
mended for approval 5-3 by
the subcommittee on June
14.
The bill initially intended
to increase the maximum fee
for seven transactions, but
has since been amended to
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
A key legislative bud-
get committee has voted
to authorize maximum fee
increases aff ecting food
safety, livestock and water,
though some of the hikes
aren’t as steep as originally
proposed.
Several bills raising the
maximum cap on such fees
will soon be voted on by
the full Joint Committee on
Ways and Means after receiv-
ing approval from its Natural
only change four fees.
The maximum brand
inspection fee will be
increased to $1.35 per head
of cattle, up from the current
$1 but down from the origi-
nally proposed $1.50.
An emergency clause in
the amended version would
allow the Oregon Department
of Agriculture more time to
collect higher fees, so they
may not have to reach the
maximum level as quickly.
Maximum fee increases
for livestock feed manufactur-
ers were also recommended
for approval by the subcom-
mittee, which voted 6-2 to
approve Senate Bill 36. The
bill would double license fees
from $500 to $1,000 per man-
ufacturer, and triple the fees
per commercial feed product
from $20 to $60.
Dairies, egg handlers,
bakers, food processors and
grocery stores would face
increased food safety fees
under Senate Bill 33, which
the subcommittee recom-
mended for approval 5-3.
However, the subcom-
mittee amended the bill so
that maximum food safety
fees would increase 7% in
mid-2022 and another 7%
in mid-2023, rather than rise
15% each year, as originally
proposed.
Rep. Vikki Breese-Iver-
son, R-Prineville, said she
could not support the pro-
posed fee hikes after the hard-
ship that agricultural commu-
nities have suff ered during the
coronavirus pandemic.
“All we’re doing is
increase their fees and make it
more diffi cult and harder for
them to stay in business and
support our state,” she said.
An increase in maximum
fees for water transactions
charged by the state’s Depart-
ment of Water Resources was
also recommended by the
subcommittee 5-3 on June 15.
The maximum fees would
rise 17.39% under House
Bill 2142, which was also
opposed by Breese-Iverson.
“I feel it is very diffi cult
and disingenuous when we’re
going into a drought year to
raise the fees for something
these guys aren’t going to get,
which is water,” she said.
S224788-1
Proud Supporter of
Scott Stump Named New FFA Chief Executive Officer
The National FFA Organization and the National FFA Foundation named Scott Stump the new chief
executive officer of both organizations, effective Monday, June 21.
www.stutzman-environmental.com
S225296-1
Proud Supporter
of FFA
P.O. Box 307 • Canby, OR 97013
888-877-7665
“It is with great anticipation that I return to National FFA in this leadership role,” said Stump. “I know from
personal experience as a student and as a parent the positive difference FFA makes in the lives of students
across this nation. I look forward to working with FFA’s talented national staff, committed board members,
state and local leaders and supporters to advance and expand our collective impact.”
National FFA Advisor and Board Chair Dr. James Woodard shared the news with state FFA and agricultural
education leaders and National FFA staff earlier this month.
12333 Silver Falls Hwy SE
Aumsville, OR 97325
Phone: (503) 769-2205
S223436-
1
Stump, who lives on a small ranch in Stoneham, Colorado, with his wife, Denise and three children, Brady,
Ross and Emma, has a background rich in agricultural education, career and technical education and FFA.
He received his bachelor’s in agricultural education from Purdue University and his MBA from Western
Governor’s University.
Proud Sponsor of FFA
S225967-1
“The opportunity to select Scott Stump as the new CEO is exciting for the National FFA Board of Directors.
Scott is a leader with credibility, vision and passion for the agricultural education profession,” Woodard
said. “The process for selecting Scott was both inclusive and transparent. The respondents of the survey
provided great insight into the needs of the organization. I want to professionally thank all who provided
input to the selection process. “
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“On behalf of the National FFA Foundation Board of Trustees, we are both humbled and excited to
welcome Mr. Scott Stump to our team. Scott brings decades of experience to the table, having been a part
of FFA and agricultural education at nearly every level — including student member, classroom teacher,
state staff and national staff,” said Ronnie Simmons, chair of the National FFA Foundation Board of the
Trustees. “With a Smith-Hughes style philosophy of agricultural education, Scott’s ideals and beliefs are
built on a strong foundation giving him the capacity to lead and influence others. It is evident that these
beliefs are the driving force behind his vision that agricultural education will continue to be the difference-
maker in the lives of students across the nation.”
5450 W. 11 th , Eugene, OR
Stump began his career as an agriculture teacher in Manchester, Indiana, where he taught for two years.
He then worked for the National FFA Organization, where he managed the national officer team and
the National FFA Convention and Expo. From 2007 through 2014, he served as the assistant provost and
state director for career and technical education with the Colorado
Community College System. During his CCCS tenure, Stump also
served as state FFA advisor, agriculture program director and interim
president of Northeastern Junior College during the institution’s
presidential search process.
(541) 342-5464
S238153-1
503-873-6498
877-FOR-IOKA
www.iokamarketing.com
Silverton, Oregon
Proud
Supporter
of FFA
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In 2015, Stump was named COO of learning solutions provider
Vivayic, Inc. In July 2018, he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate
to serve as the assistant secretary of career, technical and adult
education for the U.S. Department of Education, where he served
until January.
He currently serves as senior advisor with Advance CTE, where he
leads and contributes to major initiatives and projects, including
Advances CTE’s Postsecondary CTE Leaders Fellowship Program and
Advancing the Framework. He also supports their federal advocacy,
state policy and technical assistance efforts.
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After an extensive search process, the Joint Governance Committee of the National FFA Board of Directors
and National FFA Board of Trustees selected and approved Stump as CEO.
