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From Nebraska Agriculture and You
When third-generation Plattsmouth farmer Bruce Wiles and his wife, Annette, went looking for alternatives to diversify their row crops, friends Paul and Kim Kavulak suggested they look into growing hops. It was 2014 and the Kavulaks, who own Nebraska Brewing Company, knew the state’s craft brewing market was gaining momentum.
However, the breweries were sourcing hops out of state, mainly from the Pacific Northwest. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln was beginning to field calls from farmers and hobbyists asking questions about growing hops.
“We asked if the University would partner with us, because it would be another opportunity for people who wanted to get into agriculture, and it doesn’t require a large number of acres,” Annette Wiles says. “And with the growing need to locally source hops, and the number of craft brewers on the rise – based on a market analysis we did – it just seemed like something that would work.” And it is working. » Read more
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