Gorst Valley Hops Blogitorium

High value crops...what makes them high value?

2011-02-14T16:19:00.000-08:00

So what makes a crop high value anyway? And if they're so high value, then why aren't all farmers growing them? Both good questions, and the way I see it, the "value" in high value generally means the crop has an accepted higher price per unit area...i.e. apples, cherries, hops, etc. But as in all balanced systems, there must be a proportional input as well. Unfortunately that input is usually high start-up costs, longer period to profitability, and greater exposure to production risks, be they climatic or market.

And some farmers only grow these crops in a conventional monoculture no different than typical row crops or livestock systems. True, there is some efficiency gained in focusing on one crop system and designing all processes to take advantage of economy of scale. But as we are finally seeing, large-scale monocrops are subject to their own risks, not the least of which is the impact of commoditization and price volatility.

So large-scale row crops depend on large-scale farms for profitability, making diversification unfeasible. Similar mentality can be observed in the large monocropping of tree fruits. So designing a cropping system around scale to obtain efficiencies ultimately limits flexibility and ability to capitalize on any sort of market fluctuation. Basically, the more of a single crop a farmer plants, the more of that same crop must be planted to stay profitable. Expand or die, as they say...

Okay, so large monocrop farms cannot afford to diversity for fear of falling behind. Small scale farms must diversify to make the best use of limited resources but generally cannot support the larger investment up front and longer payback for a more valuable crop...

What would happen if a moderate farm could support several high value crops on small scales? I'd love to see it...

Defining Ourselves

2011-02-10T09:28:00.000-08:00

I thought I should take a minute to address how we define ourselves and our intentions, actions, interactions, etc. I believe it is best to be vocal about who you are and what you do, and in doing so we craft our own image. Remember...if you don't define yourself, someone else will.

Okay, having said that, who is Gorst Valley Hops and what do they want?

I'll skip the elevator speech...you can find that boilerplate on our website, FB page, cut sheets, etc. Gorst Valley is a group of friends who all possess a focused expertise across all manner of disciplines bringing their considerable experience and observations to bear on a single topic: Hops.

Uh...wait a minute. Hasn't that been done already? Hops are readily available, right?
Yup. Hops are readily available from numerous sources across the globe. But Gorst Valley production has everything to do with scale, and not volume. So what does that mean?

When I approached my friends about forming GVH it was a convergence of several lines of thinking, all geared towards the idea of equitable distribution of investment in the product. Gorst Valley's objective is to see the farmer personally profit for their contributions to production.

"Whoa, James...is this an investment banking lecture?" Hardly. Here's a crazy idea...is it possible to design a production, distribution, and consumption system that retains more value by intensely focusing on shrinking the scale of the system? If we can do this, more of the value (money) traded for these products (or services) is recycled into the system which allows those involved with the production aspects to focus on quality and sustaining their own portion of the system.

Phew! That felt good. I know it seems complicated...but it's really not. We learned this early on in our childhood: It's called sharing. But we also have to be stewards of the system, to ensure it functions and flows.

I don't plan to stop with hops. Hops are sexy because craft beer is cool. Hops get attention for being sexy and people pay attention to the message. Oh yeah...I love beer, so that helps too.

As always, thanks for your interest in what we have to say. Next lesson is on sustainable systems...

Kindly,
James

Long time...new post

2011-02-10T09:18:00.000-08:00

Okay...it's all my fault. Lots of folks have been hollering for a new newsletter and I apologize for the silence. But hey, we've been busy! There are several new things in the works for Gorst Valley Hops (equipment, on-line courses, processing investments, collaborations, etc) and look for updates when we can spread the word.

So for now We'll use this blog as a medium to communicate the hot topics and such (or my informal rants, observations, etc...but I'll try to keep it relevant).

Look for posting very, very soon.

It may be local...but is it quality?

2010-09-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

When we little guys are playing in the sandbox with the big boys we simply cannot compete on volume or afford to be exposed to the whims of crooked commodities pricing for our goods. So we have to focus on other value-added attributes that can set us apart from the cacophony, especially in a specialty market like hops. So what are our options? Many folks jump right to "organic" as a mechanism of adding value and hopefully justifying the prices we need to stay solvent. but the marketing juggernaut has turned the principle of organic production into a buzzword and it has lost some of its meaning (not to mention the market for organic hops is iffy at best).

Okay...so how about "local" as an angle? Local can work...if the buyer can translate that into increased revenue and be comfortable with the inherent risk of possibly supply volatility. When coupled with typically higher price points the label of "local" may not be enough to sustain a business.

however, one thing we producers DO have control over is quality (or quality impactors). As a good friend and Master Brewer once said, "I don't care if it was grown in my back yard...if it is crap, I don't want it." To me, that says it all. We must be willing to identify the factors that impact quality and build controls around them to not only provide a framework in which to operate, but also to illustrate our sincerity to our customers. If we build a production system that copies the large producers' operations we can expect a similar outcome...including their price structure and expectations.

So, as a grower you talk of delivering local, high quality product and want a premium for your for it.

Prove it... Demonstrate your know-how and mastery of your craft. Instill confidence to your customer base. This is serious business...act appropriately.

Knowledge is not free...

2010-07-06T07:19:00.000-07:00

This is a rant...plain and simple. I try to keep such things to a minimum and only post topics of value or insights I find cool. However, this topic is something of a thorn for me.

As many folks know, GVH offers workshops on both beginning commercial scale hop growers and more advanced, technical topics. Our GVH team has numerous decades worth of combined professional experience that we utilize when designing and presenting our classes and other outreach activities. Yet there is a percentage of the audience that believes this information should be free.

I understand that the Internet age has made a plethora of infomation available for the price of a monthly service provider. When I was young my grandfather would tell me that the US was still a place where someone with an idea and a strong work ethic could get ahead and be successful. I always believed that but came to understand why he made such a point of it...he saw the coming age when it would be acceptible for people to expect things (material and idealogical) handed to them.

It is much the same with information. Beware of free or found info that seems very detailed or "exactly what I'm looking for..." as it is usually too good to be true. Typically, I have found, this "free" info is opinion or tradition, usually light on critical info. As with all things... "you get what you pay for..."

The power of beer can make agriculture cool...

2010-07-06T06:55:00.000-07:00

That's right...beer is sexy and that makes the stuff beer is made from sexy. But even the power of full-blown beer-geekdom cannot overshadow the fact that (in this case hops) this is still agriculture. If hops were associated with animal feed production then there would be no casual, drive-by gawkers or bold trespassers in our hop yards. When was the last time a car full of guys piled out to get their picture taken in front of a field corn plot?

The fact is that a generic wheat field on a tiny island in Lake Michigan would be otherwise completely overlooked if not for the fact that the crop is a main ingredient in Capital Brewery's Island Wheat beer. There is a path worn in the vegetation up to a small sign indicating that this wheat is utilized by Capital. Why is there a path? Because all of the folks who have their pictures taken in front of an obscure wheat field, that's why.

I am an amateur beer geek so I understand the allure of all things fermented but I am also a farmer, horticulturist, teacher, and business owner. And if it takes beer to cause a new agricultural revolution then I'm all for it...

Freak mega-storm + hop yard = a whole lot of work

2010-07-02T06:15:00.000-07:00

We knew that our hop yard would be a demonstration venue for prospective growers, hop-heads, lookyloos, etc. not long after it was installed. Nevertheless the yard is a working farm and managed to be productive. We also use it to demonstrate various production practices, materials, and techniques. And now we can use the yard as a demonstration of how to re-build after the God of Thunder lays waste, utterly.

So here is the play-by-play. Here in Southern Wisconsin it has rained off and on every week for the last month. The ground is saturated to say the least. The combination of huge wind, saturated ground, and ridiculously vigorous Mt. Hoods pulled the deadmen right out of the ground, concrete and all. Once the leading row collapsed it was a domino effect. End result: 5 rows of Mt. Hood layed sideways and 1 row of EKG at about 45 degrees. The good news is the hops were not damaged at all. We're still on for a record Mt. Hood yield.

New to the Blog gig...

2010-07-02T06:12:00.001-07:00

Well, this is something new for me...a blog. I always wondered how bloggers could be so convinced that others, some complete strangers, would be compelled to read every random word that comes to mind...but hey, who am I to deny the complete strangers, so here we go!