UF IFAS GCREC Hops

05/29/2026

This is the second step of hop harvest! Harvested plants are transferred to a hop harvester, which strips the cones from the stems and separates them from the leaves.

What happens next? The harvested cones will be dried, ground, and pelletized for storage and brewing. We'll share another video soon showing these postharvest processing steps!

Interested in seeing the harvest process in person? Join us for our Hops Field Day on Tuesday, June 2: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hops-field-day-spring-2026-tickets-1989414307748

We look forward to seeing you there!

05/28/2026

Hop harvest season has started in Florida! 🌿🤩

Harvesting hops is a two-step process. First, the entire hop plants are harvested in the field by pulling down the twines. Next, the harvested plants are transferred to a hop harvester, where the cones are separated from the bines.

This video shows the first step of the harvest process - pulling down plants from the trellis. We’ll share another video tomorrow showing the second step and how the hop harvester works!

Interested in seeing the harvest process in person? Join us for our Hops Field Day on Tuesday, June 2:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hops-field-day-spring-2026-tickets-1989414307748

We look forward to seeing you there!

05/22/2026

Our hops are loaded with cones, and harvest will begin next week 🤩

Want to see and smell ripe Florida-grown hops? Join us on 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮 for our Hops Field Day! Registration is free, but required for meal planning.

📅 Tue, June 2, 2026
📍 UF Gulf Coast Research & Education Center
🎟️ Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hops-field-day-spring-2026-tickets-1989414307748

🌿 Hopyard tour
🚜 Hop harvest demonstration
📊 Presentations on UF hops research
🎤 Panel discussion and beer tasting

We look forward to seeing you there!

05/19/2026

It was a pleasure to welcome the EPCOT Agricultural Science team yesterday! 🌿

The group toured our hop yard to learn how we grow hops in Florida using supplemental lighting and daylength manipulation. We also provided hop plants for their agricultural education program.

The hop plants in the greenhouse were propagated by our PhD student, Álvaro Bautista, who is currently preparing a new field trial to evaluate advanced hop selections for potential cultivar release.

We appreciate the opportunity to connect through horticulture, education, and outreach!

05/19/2026

A great story highlighting Chris’s tremendous contribution to the success of our hops program over the past 10 years. Thank you for your dedication and outstanding service, Chris! 👏👏👏

05/15/2026

🌿 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗙𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗚𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗖 – 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮 🌿

Join us on 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮 at the UF Gulf Coast Research & Education Center for our Hops Field Day!

The event will feature:
🌿 Tour our research hopyard and see and smell ripe hop cones
🚜 Live hop harvest demonstration
📊 Presentations on UF hops research
🎤 Panel discussion and beer tasting

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴.
👉 Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hops-field-day-spring-2026-tickets-1989414307748

We look forward to seeing you there!

05/08/2026

Three weeks after turning off the LED lights to induce flowering, our hops are now transforming from flowers to cones. We expect harvest to begin in about three weeks! 🤩

04/23/2026

Following the termination of daylength extension last Friday, flower initiation has begun in our hopyard! The white, spiky structures shown in the photo are female flowers at an early development stage. They mainly consist of stigmas with no petals, giving the characteristic fuzzy appearance known as burrs. These will soon develop into the cones you may be more familiar with. Stay tuned!

04/20/2026

𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝘆𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿 - 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟴, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 (𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟱𝟬 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲)
Spring growth has been rapid in the hopyard, with bines climbing 6–9 inches per day. By April 8, most plants had already reached 15 ft.

https://youtu.be/wu6vVpH_EFo

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4qrjj3jZ6i57aJHMbAgccdHDleJ4TZ4f

Monthly Hopyard Tour (2026-04-08) | Univ of Florida Hops Research

04/18/2026

Hops initiate flowering when daylength drops below ~15 hours, so maintaining longer days is essential to promote vigorous bine growth before flowering. Since natural daylength in Florida does not exceed 14 hours, we use LED lights💡 to extend daylength and prevent immature flowering. Lights were turned off yesterday as >80% of plants reached the 18-ft top wire. Flowering🌸 is expected next week. Stay tuned!