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Hoppy Farm_Layout 1 18-12-04 2:35 PM Page 2

Randy Tye pictured with some of his plants. A view of Lyn and Randy Tye's hop field. (Facebook)
(Facebook)

Originally from London, Ont., Randy moved to While some varieties of hops do grow wild in
Manitoba more than 30 years ago, where he met his Manitoba, much of the large-scale production is
wife Lyn and built a career selling farm equipment, done in the Pacific northwest.
including for Mazergroup. But located in a prime location, with relatively few
“It made it easier in that I understood marketing,” frost-free days and good pasture, the Tyes figured
he said. “We got told by numerous lenders, hops would do just fine where they are.
businesspeople, that one thing was to be able to put And with the exception of Prairie GEM Hops near
it on paper, and draw it out, and figure out how to Winnipeg, Farmery Estate Brewery in Neepawa and
grow it and where the rows were going to go, and another producer in Moosomin, Sask., Prairie
what machinery, but somebody in the team had to Mountain Hops is the only other hop farm in the
sell.” region.
The Tyes considered a number of options to “I went last year when their operation was still
generate revenue off their farm — a woodlot, pretty new,” said Kathy Yan Li, a homebrewer in Shilo
Christmas tree farm and U-Pick — before settling on and creator of Farm To Bottle, a podcast that traces
hops. the origins of beer ingredients.
They started out with a test plot of 30 plants, Co-founder and past president of the University of
building themselves a small-scale trellis and British Columbia Brewing Club, a certified beer and
irrigation system, and producing a small crop come mead judge, and a director for the Canadian
harvest. Homebrewers Association, Li interviewed the Tyes
Fast forward to 2017 and the Tyes put for an episode released in October 2017.
approximately 2,500 plants in the ground by hand She said she even used some of their hops to create
on 2.5 acres. a pretty good beer for herself. “It seems like they
“We knew it was going to be labour intensive, but I really planned to go commercial from the very start
think until you get into it, you don’t realize how and their plans really speak to that.”
labour intensive it is. That was probably the biggest Prairie Mountain Hops currently grows eight
thing,” Lyn said. varieties: centennial, cascade, comet, willamette,
The Tyes acquired a planter to help speed up the nugget, Mount Hood, chinook, and most recently
process and this year, they added another four acres. brewer’s gold, a plant that traces its origins back to
They hope to have 15 acres in all once finished. Manitoba 100 years ago.

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