Next Event:
AEG-DMV Chapter Meeting
Thursday, January 23, 2020
5:30-8:30 PM
Old 690 Brewing Company
15670 Ashbury Church Rd
Purcellville, VA 20132
TOPIC:
GIS Mapping and Growing Hops in Loudoun County, VA
PRESENTERS:
Beth Sastre Flores of the Virginia Cooperative Extension and Denise Rowell of the Loudoun Hops Association
ABSTRACT:
Loudoun County developed a GIS Hops suitability chart in 2015, a spatial model using existing geographic data to predict an outcome. In this application, we combined soils, aspect, and slope to determine the most and least suitable areas in which to grow hops. We will discuss the considerations used to make this map, how we used this map to establish Hamilton Hops and considerations for new hop yards and how these inevitably affect the local hops and craft beer industry.
PRESENTERS:
Before moving to the U.S. in 1999, Beth Sastre Flores graduated from Universidad Autonoma Agraria Antonio Narro (UAAAN-UL), one of Mexico’s top agricultural universities, where she obtained a Bachelor's of Science degree in Agronomy. After graduating, Beth worked at Chapingo’s Phytotechnology lab and for two nationwide government programs in Mexico (SOLIDARIDAD and SEDESOL), which focused on supporting marginalized farmers.
Beth decided to pursue her Master's Degree in Nutrition and Postharvest Physiology at the Food and Development Research Center (CIAD) in Hermosillo (one of Mexico's top science centers). Upon graduating she worked at the center, conducting research and education for five years.
Her work experience includes horticulture, propagation, entomology, fungi microbiology, postharvest physiology, Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), lab research, extension and educational programs.
Beth is proud to join the VCE Loudoun Office and assist Loudoun Growers in finding joint solutions to locally-identified problems related to agriculture. Her mission is to help Loudoun's agricultural community become stronger and unified.
Denise Rowell is a life long resident of Loudoun County, throughout college she coached gymnastics and continued that path for 20 years. When they moved to a small family farm in 2015 they sought to grow grapes, instead they decided to plant hops to support the growing craft beer industry. Together with other hop growers and brewers the Loudoun Hops Association was formed in 2017, to assist in educating, marketing and growing the hops industry in the mid Atlantic region. Denise works with several universities such as Virginia Tech, VSU, University of Maryland, Cornell and Michigan State to establish best practices for growing hops in our climates and soils. She has passed this education on to growers, brewers and brought new uses for hops to local businesses. Currently, volunteering on the board of the North East Hop Alliance working toward a USDA grant for funding further research across the east coast. The New Ag School to bring Agriculture education and CTE modules to the general public and the Loudoun County Rural Economic Development Council, heading up the Think Outside Program, Rural workforce education.
Please RSVP by Monday, January 20, 2020