Hop Central, our new pelleting, packaging and storage facility in Myrtleford, will be commissioned in the coming months. The final build will be completed in November, then we will commence the process of testing all mechanical and electrical systems in December. The commissioning process will conclude in January using hop bales set aside from crop 2024.

The new signage on Hop Central’s tower has drawn interest from locals in the area, who are equally excited to see this project near the final stages. Given the tight timing of the conclusion of the commissioning process in relation to the lead up to our peak harvest period, we will wait to hold an official opening ceremony until pelleting is completed in crop 2025. Stay tuned!  

A later-than-expected change in US demand for our crop 2025 Galaxy hops has impacted our planned production scheduled. This is the result of an oversupply situation off the back of covid combined with downward trends in beer consumption among the younger demographics, which means brewers around the world are still working through a backlog of previous crop year’s. Accordingly, we have idled additional hectares that we had originally planned to harvest. We will continue to work on the same average forecast per hectare but at a reduced production capacity. Whilst disappointing, this provides us with the opportunity to continue managing our plant and soil health in the idled areas, so they are in peak condition when demand increases.

This production pivot does not change our focus on quality. Our persistent efforts led to improvements in the quality of crop 2024 Galaxy hops, and we are aiming for the same result this year. We are collaborating closely with our friends at Haas to maximise future demand and ensure continued international success for our Aussie hops.

We have also agreed to participate in a major Predicative Breeding for Agricultural Futures research study with the Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre in collaboration with the University of WA (UWA). Our involvement is built around understanding post-harvest quality changes in Galaxy. The ARC and UWA are currently advertising for PhD candidates for this project, and will be working with our Agronomic Services team to complete this research study over the next 5 years.

There has been a tremendous amount of recovery work completed since the flood event that affected  Bushy Park Estates in late August/early September. Thank you to everyone involved in these efforts, and the teamwork shown throughout the incident. Although there was significant flooding, we are thankful that most of the flood-affected areas were already idle areas and there was no lasting impact on the farm.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the leadership team or your manager if you have any questions.