Hopsteiner Varieties are Sustainable
Sustainability Efforts
As a certified producer of organic agriculture, our team has taken the reins in understanding the requirements necessary for growing organically. Like any commercially grown agricultural product, inputs such as water, fertilizer, pesticides, and fuel are required. Each input is essential to a crop’s success, but in turn, may leave an impact on the environment. Today, many hop varieties are available for commercial use and can vary greatly in agronomic traits such as yield, disease resistance, and nutrient use efficiency. The variation of agronomical traits amongst hop varieties can have a significant impact on the total amount of inputs required for commercial hop production and ultimately influence overall production sustainability. Understanding how to grow our hops differently to accommodate the organic market has significantly bettered our overall growing practices for regular hop crops.
Carbon Dioxide equivalent emissions (CO2 equivalents), commonly called Carbon Footprint, are often used to quantify the environmental impact of crop production inputs. Greenhouse gas emissions are associated with the formulation, packaging, and application of these respective inputs. We measured these inputs by compiling hop production records, cone yields, and alpha-acid yields across multiple varieties to determine the Carbon Footprint associated with each variety. What we found was remarkable.
Our data found significant differences between hop varieties based on the Total CO2 Equivalents per hop pound produced. This study resulted in comprehensive data sets from total commercial hop production inputs and carbon footprints for multiple commercially available hop varieties that can be used by brewers to select better ingredients with more environmental value.