PNW Hop Crop Report: July 2018

For the most part, weather has cooperated in the Pacific Northwest to produce what appears to be a normal 2018 hop crop. The irrigation reservoirs have adequate water supply and pest pressure appears to manageable in most regions. Triple digit temperatures currently being experienced could cause some bloom and mite issues, but growers are optimistic about a normal crop in most varieties.

Early and split bloom was experienced in Centennial hops in Washington and Oregon and yields are expected to be significantly lower than the 2017 crop especially on early trained hops. Some Simcoe® and Amarillo® exhibited early bloom in Idaho which might reduce overall yield potential.

Cascades in all growing areas have a high degree of variability, but overall yields are expected to be near 5-year averages.

While baby CTZ growth is disappointing in some areas, mature CTZ, especially in Idaho, look good at this point in the season. HBC 682 babies look spotty. Mature HBC 682 look exceptionally good in many areas. The Oregon Nugget crop looks good to very good.

After an extensive effort to eliminate viroid issues with Ahtanum® hops, new plantings look outstanding and yields should be exceptional. Citra® is now the leading variety in the PNW based on the latest NASS acreage report. While babies in general are very spotty, Citra® babies, planted to meet increasing demand, look better than they have in years and the mature Citra® crop should be normal. Simcoe® acreage is down as growers take the initiative to replant older plantings with viroid-free rootstock. Mosaic® acreage is stable and the crop in general looks average.

So far, when you factor in all of the variability, this appears to be an overall average crop developing in the PNW. We’ll offer updates as the crop continues to develop with harvest just around the corner.