WYOMING

Specialty Crop

DIRECTORY

A Guide to Local Foods, Farmers' Markets, and Community Gardens

Park County

Northwest College Hops Program

Faculty within the Northwest College (NWC) Department of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Powell Research and Extension Center, are researching hops to determine, in part, which varieties work best for the local environment and if hops are a feasible specialty crop for the Bighorn Basin. The research is a subject of discussion in NWC’s agroecology and soil science classes, and is of interest to several local farmers. Since 2019, producers have used the NWC hops’ harvester to harvest their own hops, which were marketed to microbreweries in Wyoming and Montana.

Project partners:
NWC Department of Agriculture and Powell Research and Extension Center; NWC agroecology and range management assistant professor: Will Rose
Location:
NWC farm near Powell
Email:
will.rose@nwc.edu or uwprec@uwyo.edu
Phone:
307-754-6465 or 307-754-2223
Website:
https://nwc.edu/
Additional website:
https://nwc.edu/academics/programs/agroecology/

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Hop plants
Northwest College has established a program for students interested in the hops industry. They help grow and harvest hops at the Powell Research and Extension Center. Hops are used in beer production, and can also be used in cooking, salad dressings, tea, and as a vine to grow on a wall or fence.
Hops
These green hops are not quite ready for harvest and must be monitored closely by students involved in the Northwest College hops program and personnel at the PREC, where the hops are grown.