Hop farmers are gearing up for harvest season and in Oregon there will be an 18% drop in the harvest compared to 2023 due to an ongoing decline in demand from craft brewers.
It is the second year in a row Oregon has seen a double-digit decline in total acreage planted. According to the Oregon Beverage Alliance, the Oregon hop harvest was down 12% in 2023 compared to 2022. Total acreage harvest went from 7,000 hop acres in 2022 to just 5,500 acres in 2024.
The decline mirrors the trend in all three primary hop producing states which include Washington and Idaho in addition to Oregon. According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s latest hop report, acreage strung for harvest in 2024 is forecast at 44,543 acres, down 18% from last year’s total of 54,318 acres.
The Brewers Association has said that national craft beer sales have fallen 2.1% through mid-year 2024, with scan data indicating a similar trend through July and mid-August. Oregon hop farmers anticipated the continuing decline when planting for the 2024 season and put less acreage into production to keep demand and supply stable.
Oregon is the third largest hop producing state.