Phase 1: It all starts with HOPS
Did you know that “Octoberfest” is actually the celebration of the hops harvest in September, and celebrated with fresh hops beer in October? Have you also noticed the number of craft beers on the store shelves which used to be just Bud, Miller, Coors and Corona? The craft beer market has consistently doubled in number of breweries every four years, but it takes a normal hops plant three years to mature. This means the demand of hops flowers outpaces production – thus causing the great hops shortage. The demand for hops to brew masters (large and small) is skyrocketing beyond the limited capacity traditional outdoor farmers can sustain. There are six major problems with the current hops market, and an explanation of how LoneStar AgriTech will transform the hops industry forever.
PROBLEM 1: LIMITED SUPPLY
The combination of high demand and extreme weather has reduced supply to alarming levels. AKA: The “Hops Shortage”. Take this year as a prime example – record heatwaves and drought in the Pacific Northwest are jeopardizing crop yields, quality and consistency.
LoneStar AgriTech Solution: Controlled indoor environment takes “Mother Nature” out of the equation. We control the water, light, nutrition, temperature and humidity in a 5th generation greenhouse that can withstand harsh weather.
PROBLEM 2: LIMITED SPACE
On outdoor farms, hops plants are spaced 3-5 feet apart for maximum sunlight absorption. This means that each acre can only handle 750-800 plants per acre and harvested only once a year. This means that farmers have to acquire hundreds to thousands of acres to produce enough hops per year to supply the demand.
LoneStar AgriTech Solution: With 50,000 sq ft of grow space per grow zone, we can place 10,500 plants per acre. Not only that, but we can also grow a minimum of three harvests per year, which means we can grow 31,500 plants per acre per year vs 800 plants per acre per year outdoors. By alternating grow cycles to every between four grow zones, we can produce one fresh hops harvest each month. With that said, we can produce flower yields from 126,000 plants in just 4 acres, which would take 160 acres at an outdoor farm. With LoneStar’s plan of 1,000,000,000 square feet, that would total 20 grow zones totaling 630,000 plants per year… on about 25 acres. The same plant volume outdoors would require almost 800 acres outdoors.
PROBLEM 3: LIMITED YIELD & QUALITY
On outdoor farms, hops plants are at the mercy of Mother Nature. With the current problems with climate change, heat waves cause droughts, and droughts causes plant stress, which reduces yield and consistency in quality. Add mold, mildew, insects… and the insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides to control or manage these risks, and you get plants that have limited quality and yield (about 2-3 pounds per plant).
LoneStar AgriTech Solution: With indoor controlled environments, there is never a drought, consistent temperature and humidity, 24 hours of full spectrum LED no-heat light, no toxic chemicals, no mold or mildew, no insects. The plants maximize their genetics by increased size, higher yields, and the quality of their phytochemical profiles are literally off the charts! Not only will LoneStar grow more plants better, but we will produce higher quality and quantity of flowers year-round.