Ontario Hop Growers' Association The OHGA is a not-for-profit association of hop growers, families and enthusiasts who are interested in supporting the growth of the hop industry in Ontario.
In this month’s newsletter, we hear from Aaron Hendrikx from BackRoads Hops, near Parkhill, Ontario. You can learn more about his farm at https://backroadshops.com/
OHGA: When did you start growing?
Aaron Hendrikx: I started growing hops in 2017 with a 1 acre test yard.
OHGA: What varieties do you have, and how many acres?
Aaron Hendrikx: My big five right now are Triple Pearle, Chinook, Centennial, Cascade and Magnum. I have a few others that I am working on expanding including Ultra, Hallertau, Galena and Kent Golding. I also have a “wild” or “heritage” hop I am slowly expanding as well. I started with one acre and now have 10 acres of trellis with about 6.5 acres of it planted.
OHGA: Why did you get into the hops industry?
Aaron Hendrikx: Growing up on a cash crop farm I always had an interest in agriculture. When I finished University I knew I wanted to get into the agricultural industry in some way. After doing some research and visiting a few other hop farms I decided to grow an acre of hops in 2017 to see how I liked it and how well the plants would grow on my parent’s farm. The plants grew well and I really enjoyed the first year of growing the crop. Being involved in the craft beer industry also made for an exciting venture.
OHGA: How did you come up with your hopyard name?
Aaron Hendrikx: I am actually in the process of changing my hop yard name slightly to “Backroads Hops Farm.” I also own a specialty running shoe store with an in-store taproom that has 8 Ontario craft beer taps called Backroads Brews + Shoes. So with keeping some connection between the two businesses I decided to use Backroads for the hop yard as well. I have run literally thousands of kilometres on country backroads, so that is where the name “backroads” comes from.
OHGA: What is your favourite piece of equipment?
Aaron Hendrikx: My new Case IH 100N orchard tractor that I just got a couple of months! I have done everything in the hop yard in an open loader tractor for three years so the new tractor will make field work so much better next year!
OHGA: What is the most challenging part of your hop business, and how are you dealing with it?
Aaron Hendrikx: Selling the hops has been an overall challenge. A challenge for me has been not having enough time to get out there and market the hops since I also own Backroads Brews + Shoes that takes majority of my time. I now have a manager in the hop yard who will help a lot with marketing the hops and working on value added products too.
OHGA: Which pest/weed gives you the biggest headache, and how do you deal with it?
Aaron Hendrikx: While downy mildew is a known head ache for any Ontario hop yard, I find weed management and spider mites to be two other head aches. My new manager in the hop yard will be super helpful with spraying, discing and mowing in a more timely manner.
OHGA: How was this year’s crop?
Aaron Hendrikx: This year’s crop was pretty good. The weather was cooperative this year for healthy plants and the yield was good.
OHGA: What has been a big lesson learned?
Aaron Hendrikx: Make your rows wide enough so you can get a tractor down it! Don’t use the push-in triangle anchors because they will pull out when the plants are big. I have found the 4 foot twist in anchors to work great.
OHGA: What’s the one issue that you would like advice from other growers on?
Aaron Hendrikx: Weed management; what does your weed management program look like?