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Idaho Hop Growers Commission reports acreage decline, urges market correction
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Summary
The Idaho Hop Growers Commission reported sharply reduced acreage and continued oversupply; commissioners said 2024 yields were good but producers face lower demand from the brewing market.
Candy Fitch, executive director for the Idaho Hop Growers Commission, told a legislative committee that the U.S. hop industry and Idaho growers continue to experience consolidation and shrinking acreage amid falling demand.
Fitch said the U.S. national hop report released in December 2024 showed production down 16% and area harvested down 18% from the prior year. She cited Idaho acreage falling from 9,561 acres in 2022 to 5,797 acres in 2024, with additional reductions reported for 2025 but no final statewide acreage number available yet.
Commission leaders attributed the market shift to lower beer consumption overall and a decline in craft beer demand during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Fitch said dealers and growers are working through an oversupply, and while 2024 yields were good and pest pressure was average, “there is not a good solution to the oversupply,” she said.
Fitch also reviewed the commission’s budget assumptions. For the 2024–25 year the commission based its budget on 61,657 bales; for 2025–26 she estimated a 30% reduction and projected assessments of about $129,480 — roughly $60,000 less than the prior year — and total income including grant funding at about $355,001.75. Fitch said much of the commission’s outside funding comes from specialty crop grants used for promotion and research and that those reimbursements are pay‑and‑go, so actual grant reimbursements fluctuate year to year.
She listed the commission’s 2024–25 commissioners and noted the group’s membership in national organizations including the Hop Research Council and Hop Growers of America. Fitch said involvement in regional and national bodies helps Idaho access research and promotional opportunities it could not mount alone.
Fitch closed by describing local outreach efforts — hop tours and an industry presence at the Wild West Brewfest — and said the commission planned to continue brewer promotions and specialty-crop funded promotional activities.
