A field trial to evaluate the feasibility of commercial hops production in Western Montana will get under way this summer at a Whitefish area ranch, once again putting the Flathead Valley in the spotlight for progressive agricultural research.

Tom Britz, who ranches southwest of Whitefish, has been awarded an $11,820 state Growth Through Agricultural grant for a five-year hops variety trial. Britz has been working on the hops project with Pat McGlynn, the Montana State University agriculture extension agent for Flathead County.

“The question is not if we can grow hops here,” McGlynn said, “but if we can grow varieties the brewers want.”

With a strong background in horticulture, McGlynn has been the driving force behind several major research projects here that now are in various stages.

The sweet cherry variety trials on Flathead Lake are testing new varieties that ripen either earlier or later to better compete with Washington cherries.

Cold-hardy wine grape trials testing a dozen hybrid grape varieties in Northwest Montana began last year. The idea is to spur wine production that could create a shoulder tourist season for the Flathead.

Flathead County also is participating in a project to test apple, pear and plum trees in this area. An orchard will be planted next month near Columbia Falls Junior High and students will participate in the research. Eventually the fruit will be part of the hot-lunch program at the school.

Because there always are matching funds put into the grant-driven research, “we are looking at over $250,000 in research projects,” McGlynn said. “The Montana Department of Agriculture has contributed about $115,000 but local growers have made matching or even more investment in the projects with their land, labor, machinery and cash.”

Britz wasn’t thinking about hops when he went to McGlynn a while back for advice on growing a legume forage crop he’d heard about from a neighbor. His acreage historically has been used for hay and pasture and he was looking at ways to make the land more sustainable.

“Instead of going down the path of traditional agriculture, Pat suggested that I research hops and gave me a path to determine if a niche market might exist for this crop.”

He liked McGlynn’s big-picture approach. Her advice was broader than just cultivation, he said. It encompassed economic development, with an eye on helping grow the craft brewing industry here.

McGlynn, known as the “lone non-ranger” when she joined the ranks of her extension agent peers who largely focus on the livestock and grain industries in Montana, said she always has taken an entrepreneurial approach to how agricultural products can build the local economy.

“I am an idea person,” she said. “I get excited being part of creating a bigger vision.”

McGlynn had been thinking about the hops trial for some time when Britz “took my idea and ran with it.”

Britz did much of the leg work, meeting with the Montana Brewers Association and local craft brewers. The consensus among brewers was that they’d love to have access to Montana-grown hops.

Nearly all commercially grown hops in the United States are produced in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, though other states recently have begun studying small-scale production because of craft brewers who prize locally produced ingredients.

Great Northern Brewing Co. in Whitefish and Tamarack Brewing Co. in Lakeside have stepped up to help sponsor the hops trials.

Marcus Duffey, general manager of Great Northern Brewing, said he immediately supported the hops project. Craft brewers generally strive to use locally grown ingredients and have access to Montana-grown barley, he said. The supply of local hops, though, is limited to backyard and ornamental growers.

Hops have been used in brewing for centuries as a flavoring and stability agent in beer. The effect of hops varies by type and use, but generally hops are used either for their bitterness or aroma.

The hops research will involve surveying craft brewers to determine the most popular of more than 100 varieties. The research plot at the Britz Ranch will include about 16 test varieties of hops grown on two different trellis systems — angled and vertical — using 18-foot poles.

Data will be collected on survivability, vigor, production quality and quantity, and start-up costs.

Britz acknowledged it will be a challenging crop to grow in Montana. As he was researching hops, growers in Washington and Oregon told him point-blank not to consider hops for this area.

But, he said, their advice was based on their business model. Britz, who has a background in marketing and business development, has an alternative business model in mind that would be based on a cooperative approach.

McGlynn, too, envisions a kind of regional growers cooperative to use commercial harvest, processing and packaging equipment that comes with a hefty price tag. Commercial hops production is both capital- and labor-intensive and the infrastructure for harvesting and processing doesn’t exist anywhere in Montana.

The study also will determine market feasibility for certified organic and non-organic hops.

Britz said it may be possible to offer better quality hops in Montana by using a processing method that uses less heat and therefore would burn off a lesser amount of essential oils.

“But we’ve got to prove it,” Britz added.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.