Like the early pioneers before them, a quest for a new life — and new adventure — prompted husband and wife Ryan Heine and Michelle Donner to move to South Dakota in 2014.The couple had each grown up on farming operations in Nebraska, just across the river from Yankton, S.D.

“After working for 15 years in St. Louis and Omaha, I wanted to get back to the farming lifestyle,” explains Heine, who always had an interest in farming, but with five brothers recognized there wasn’t room for him on the family farm. He went to college for electrical engineering instead.

HOP GROWERS: Ryan Heine and Michelle Donner display hops at the South Dakota State Fair.

A few years ago, serendipity intervened, bringing Heine and Donner back to their rural roots. Heine had the opportunity to work his engineering job remotely, meaning he could leave Omaha. And, Heine and Donner were self-professed “foodies.” Donner operated a catering business, and the couple enjoyed learning about Omaha’s food and craft breweries. With a blended family of four children at the time, they were also eager to share the farming lifestyle with their children.

Heine says their “lightbulb moment” was to establish a hop farm. They recognized a need — and niche — for supplying fresh, local hops to the burgeoning craft brewing industry in the region, including South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota and Missouri. Heine notes that a handful of other hop farms have been established in South Dakota’s southeast corner.

TRELLIS TRAINED: Hops grow up 17-foot-high trellises.

He and Donner had already grown hop plants in their backyard, so they began visiting growers in Nebraska and researching the market to learn more about starting a commercial operation. Heine also had the perfect spot for establishing their farm. He co-owned 80 acres of farmland near Yankton with his brothers. It was land his grandfather had gifted to them when they were born. The Heine family had been raising traditional grain crops on it since the 1980s, but he persuaded his dad and brothers to get on board with the idea of a “non-traditional” farming entity. Heine says, “In one month, we went from toying with the idea to putting everything in motion to move back to Yankton.”

That was the summer of 2014. By spring 2015, Heine and Donner had established their hop farm named 6th Meridian LLC, as well as built a pole barn to house their equipment and provide living quarters for their family. On 1.8 acres they planted 1,200 hills of hop rhizomes supplied from other growers’ mature plants. Seven varieties were chosen by Heine and Donner based on the flavors the hops offer. “Some we knew would work; some we hoped would work,” says Heine of the varieties that were established.

MECHANICAL HARVESTER: Ryan Heine uses a U.S.-made harvester to harvest hops.

In fall 2015, they were able to harvest a few hops samples to share with brewers. Heine explains that as a perennial, a hop plant takes three to four years to really get established. “First-year hops don’t offer as strong of a flavor, and many growers won’t harvest in their first year.”

Their 2016 harvest yielded 461 pounds of dried hops, and in 2017, Heine is hoping for 3,000 pounds of dried hops.

Of his two years in the hop business, Heine admits, “It’s a lot of work; double what you think the effort is going to be.” He is thankful for his farm upbringing, and says, “That innate knowledge and background from my dad and brothers has been helpful.”

Business plan

Regarding marketing, Heine says, “The easy part — and kind of the fun part — is finding brewers.” He’s made connections with craft brewers in Omaha, St. Louis, Minneapolis and South Dakota. Heine explains that many small-scale, craft brewers are typically only able to source hops that are 2 to 3 years old. Thus, he and Donner hope to eventually set up contracts and supply those brewers with a consistent, fresh source of hops.

In 2016, they planted an additional 2,100 hills of hop plants, and have a goal of growing their hop yard by adding a few acres of hop plants each year. “We’ll try to fill the full 80 acres,” says Heine.

Adding a tourism component is also part of their business goals. Heine notes that with their proximity to Lewis and Clark Lake, over 1 million visitors come to the Yankton area annually. With the 17-foot-tall trellis system required for the hop plant bines, the farm is highly visible, and Heine says, “When people see hops in the field, they are interested in craft beer samples.”

Heine and Donner — who operates a catering business — plan to add a commercial kitchen on the farm so they can offer a full-service event venue. They would like to offer samples of craft beers from around the region brewed with the hops grown on their farm, and they also hope to build a small brewing system to brew single hops beer, allowing visitors to experience the different flavors offered by the different hop varieties being grown.

Additionally, they’ve talked about incorporating a bike trail through the hop yards and possibly providing special camping or cabins on the farm. Heine says, “It’s our alternative way to diversify our income for our farm to guard against that time when the hop market isn’t booming.”

Gordon writes from Whitewood, S.D.

From plant to market: The hops process

Hop plants are a perennial that produces flowers, called hops, which are used as a flavoring ingredient in beer. The hop plant requires a trellis system — 17 feet tall — to allow the bines to climb and ultimately produce more flowers. The hops are harvested in the fall — August to September — and the bines are cut back in October.

Yankton grower Ryan Heine, who operates 6th Meridian LLC with his wife, Michelle Donner, says, “Growing hop plants is the easy part. The harvest process [because of the tall trellis] is the hard part.”

He explains that hops can be harvested entirely by hand or using specialty equipment. To preserve their relationships with friends and family, the couple purchased a harvester made in New York (HopsHarvester, LLC). It was less expensive than the German-made hops harvesters that are traditionally used, and the duo believes the American unit they purchased is the first of its kind in South Dakota. The couple used it for the first time with their 2016 harvest, and report “it worked great.”

Heine describes the hops as “papery pinecones,” and notes they are 80% moisture when harvested. To avoid rot, the hops must be dried down quickly to about 8% to 12% moisture. Then they are put into cold storage.

Heine says many large brewers will use the whole hops cone, but he explains that small brewers typically have smaller equipment, particularly smaller filter pumps that can’t handle all of the leaf particles. Thus, small brewers are more likely to use hops pellets, which is how 6th Meridian markets its hops.

The pelletizing process includes grinding the hops cone into a powder and putting it through a pelletizer, like that which would be used to make animal feed. It’s a process that requires careful attention to detail. Heine explains, “You must be very careful about the temperature. The material needs to be over 120 degrees F so the cellulosic material holds together to form a pellet, but it cannot be over 130 degrees F or the flavor and aromatic oils of the hops may be burned off.”

Heine notes that some growers contract out the pelletizing process, but 6th Meridian makes its own pellets — for quality control and to maintain profit margins.

Looking ahead, Heine and Donner are optimistic about their hop farm venture. Heine notes that South Dakota has an advantage with hop production because of its drier climate and even winds to keep bines dry. He explains that wet weather — such as that in Minnesota, Wisconsin and even Nebraska — can cause mildew on the hop bine, which is typically the No. 1 challenge growers face. He notes that hop plants are a northern plant, and thus are fairly cold-hardy as well.

The couple has joined the South Dakota Specialty Producers Association and is working with other hop growers in the state to form a hops chapter. “We are all working together and learning from each other.”