Washington State University Awarded $5 Million To Support Hop Research

Late last week, the USDA awarded Washington State University $4,853,908 to benefit the Pacific Northwest hop industry. The funds, which were part of the Specialty Crop Research Initiative grant program, will allow WSU to conduct research on enhancing supply chain sustainability and global competitiveness.

“As one of the leading producers of specialty crops in the country, our regional future depends on finding ways to ensure that our farmers can get their products to market,” said Dan Newhouse, chair of the Western Caucus. “This funding will go a long way toward ensuring that our producers are able to weather unstable and broken supply chain conditions like the ones we are currently experiencing. I applaud the USDA on this decision to support Central Washington’s hop industry, and I congratulate WSU on this well-deserved funding award.”

The priority of USDA’s program focus on improving crop characteristics, managing threats from pests and diseases, improving production efficiency, profitability, and technological innovation, and mitigating food safety hazards. SCRI gives priority to projects that are multistate, multi-institutional, or trans-disciplinary, and include ways to communicate results to producers and the public.

This funding was authorized through the 2018 Farm Bill.

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