OHGA Spring Workshop and AGM

• 9:00 a.m. Annual Update by: Hugh Brown, President
• 9:15 a.m. Financial / Membership report – Treasurer Fred Thomson/ Don Wilford, Secretary
• 9:45 a.m. Proposed Constitutional Amendment updates / Policy Statements
• 10:15 a.m. Nominations/Election of Board of Directors
• 10:45 a.m. Break

OHGA PUBLIC PORTION

11:00 a.m. OMAFRA Update: Melanie Filotas will talk about results of a “virus survey” of Ontario hop yards last summer and strategies on how to deal with them, while Evan Elford will speak to acreage expansion, production, and import/export of hops.

12:00 p.m. Lunch – a chance to network with other growers, and new this year, “Terroir Tastings” a chance to sample and vote on some single hop brews, hopped with with Ontario Cascade and Centennial hops, to see if you can tell which ones where hopped with Ontario hops or from traditional NW hops, plus a chance to tour Durham’s college facilities and horticultural program. 

Keynote speakers

Laura Ten Eyck	Dietrich Gehring

1:30 p.m. Laura Ten Eyck and Dietrich Gehring, Hop Adventurers and authors will discuss their trials and tribulations starting a hop yard in New York State – they ended up writing a book about it titled “The Hop Grower’s Handbook.” 

Ten Eyck and her husband, own and operate the Indian Ladder Farmstead Brewery and Cidery in Altamont New York. They grow hops and malting barley on their farm which they use to make their products and are co-authors of The Hop Grower’s Handbook: The Essential Guide for Sustainable,Small-Scale Production for Home and Market. 

They have been growing hops and brewing beer at home for more than 25 years and working for the last six years to restore local hop production in the northeast U.S. 

Laura will be signing copies of her book, which will be available for sale, for those who haven’t already got one.

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2:30 p.m. Break & network

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3:00 p.m. Bob Latimer, will provide insights on trends in the U.S. and European hops market, which can provide invaluable assistance when making planting decisions, feedback into where the market for hops is trending, including supply, demand, and prices and the potential opportunities and quality requirements for Ontario growers.

Bob, is Canadian Managing Director of Charles Faram, a UK merchant of hops, hop products, and brewing supplies for over 150 years. The company supplies over 140 varieties of hops in both Leaf and Pellet form worldwide, and also has offices and coolers in Canada and U.S.A. 

Bob is a graduate of Queen’s University in Kingston, and over a 30-year working career in Toronto has spent time in the fields of prepared meats, specialty chemicals and cleaning chemicals, industrial filtration, and brewing supply.

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4:00 p.m. Brewers’ Panel chaired by Drew Knox (Ontario Craft Brewers association). The “ever-popular” brewers panel where 5-6 of Ontario’s top craft brewers will be on hand to speak to their experiences working with Ontario hops, provide input and answer questions about where they see the Ontario market going.

Door prizes of select craft beer and swag expected.

5:00 p.m. Adjourn, Albert Witteveen

** CLICK TO ORDER TICKETS **

NOTE: this event is open to members and non-members and is suitable for new and experienced growers. In order to streamline things this year, attendees should register and renew their memberships and pay in advance – HERE. A few kiosks will be set up to facilitate online ordering and payment through PayPal or JotForm, but cheques and cask are discouraged.

This year, we expect to have an expanded exhibitor area, for growers looking to talk to suppliers for hop equipment, coir and aircraft cable that they need to set up or expand their hop yards. Watch this area for more information.