Eric Sannerud, 25, and Ben Boo, 27, are about to own the largest hops farm in the state. The two young farmers recently courted $4.6 million in investment for their business, Mighty Axe Hops, which they used to buy 80 acres in Foley, Minn.

That's tiny in comparison most commercial farms, but their farm will roughly quadruple Minnesota's hops acreage.

Hops aren't usually grown in the Midwest. They're grown in the Pacific Northwest, which produces more than 95 percent of the nation's hops.

But Sannerud and Boo say there's no reason why Minnesota farmers can't supply the state's dozens of craft and micro-breweries with locally grown hops.

"We have a perfectly good climate," Sannerud said. "We can start to develop our own industry that's making jobs here, that's circling the money locally."

The two have been growing hops for four years on a smaller plot — about 3 acres — in Ham Lake. This year, they'll sell to Fulton Beer, Badweather Brewing, and Fair State Brewing Cooperative.

Some of those brews with their fresh hops will be on tap later this week as part of their "MN Fresh Hops Tour."

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