Oregon farmers harvest fewer hops for another year due to declining beer sales

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — For at least the second consecutive year, Oregon farmers are harvesting fewer hops to match the decline in beer sales.

In 2023 , the state’s hop acreage dropped by 11% to about 6,893 acres. The acreage has decreased by about 18% both statewide and nationwide this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported.

According to Oregon Hops Commission Administrator Michelle Palacio, hops are a perennial crop that emerge every spring and are primarily harvested for beer from mid-August to late September.

The administrator said 30 states throughout the U.S. have their own hop farms, but the Pacific Northwest holds 97% of hops acreage — and commercial production mostly occurs in Washington, Idaho and Oregon.

Because of this, farmers look at beer sales when determining whether a portion of their hop fields will go “idle” for the season.

“There isn’t really another market for hops other than beer,” Palacio told KOIN 6. “A very, very small percentage is used for health and beauty products and pharmaceuticals, but our market is brewers and making beer, so we certainly follow those trends.”

Based on insight from organizations such as the Brewers Association and the Beer Institute, she said the latest trends indicate that younger consumers of legal drinking age aren’t leaning toward bitter beverages like beer.

And while Palacio cites Oregon’s “robust beer industry,” this trend still affects local farmers who harvest hops for companies throughout the country.

“We have about 20 hop families in Oregon that grow hops… and each one of those farms has infrastructure that is specific to hops. It’s not equipment that can be used for other commodities…. So when hop acreage declines, that is an impact — a financial impact — to these growers.”

Consumers who want to support local farmers are asked to consider beer when they’re choosing to purchase an alcoholic drink.

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