Hop Farmer's Year

In the 19th century, New York State experienced a "Golden Age" of hop growing. During that time, The Empire State was an agricultural powerhouse that produced almost 90% of the hop crop of the United States. But the dominance of this market, which lasted for nearly six decades, was achieved by vast numbers of small, independent hop growers, for whom hops were only a part of their overall agricultural production. How did they do this? What were the methods and tools they used? And what were the external factors and mistakes made that caused New York to relinquish its leadership in this lucrative, but labor-intensive market? With the craft beer renaissance in New York now in full swing, the interest in growing hops commercially for craft and farm breweries has surged once again. What could today's small-scale hop growers learn from their predecessors? Hop historian Al Bullard answers these questions by focusing on the handful of counties in Central New York that were the center of hop culture. Using the farm diary of one successful Upstate farmer, the author provides a guide to the seasonal cycles of running a hop farm. He presents a fascinating survey of the unique hop tools used by the growers, and gives us insight into how they were used, and at what time of the year. With over 200 illustrations and supplemented with a brief overview of the styles of hop kilns found in the region, this first-ever study to focus specifically on New York State's legendary hop industry is sure to become a classic in the field.--