Omaha World-Herald June 10, 2017 Craft breweries have been springing up dramatically across Nebraska in recent years. In 2011, 17 microbreweries were operating in the state. The current total is 48. Now comes a follow-up development: the rise of hops production in Nebraska. It’s a niche ag sector well worth nurturing. Washington, Oregon and Idaho currently provide about 90 percent of the nation’s hops, whose acids and oils give flavor and stability to beer. But microbreweries across the country are wanting to increase their locally sourced hops, and Nebraska is seeing that same pattern.
Hops production in Nebraska is small at present (24 acres in 2016, with about 40 acres expected this year), but interest is building, as are the connections to the state’s craft brewery community and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
UNL ag specialists are partnering with Nebraska hops growers and craft brewers to provide information on production techniques, conduct workshops and carry out field testing on specific varieties of the crop.
Nebraska brewers, ag producers and UNL ag specialists got together in Lincoln in January for the first annual Nebraska hops producers and brewers conference and trade show. The agenda featured introductory and advanced presentations on hops production.
Hops, notable for their dense green cones, were grown in Nebraska before Prohibition, and researchers are interested in studying some varieties growing wild in the state. Areas of interest include near Plattsmouth and along the Loup River. In cultivating hops, the plants ascend a trellis, and it takes two growing seasons to produce a crop. After harvest, the hops are processed into pellets delivered to breweries.
In addition to the startup costs and understanding the production requirements specific to hops, growers have a particular need to maintain a consistent quality of crop. Of special interest, producers and brewers say, is the prospect of developing a specialized Nebraska hop with a distinctive flavor profile.
Perhaps one day not too distant, Nebraskans will raise their beer mugs to toast the inauguration of a new Nebraska ag achievement - a Husker hop. Eagle Mine ops a delicate balance of enviromental quality vs. economics
The Mining Journal (Marquette, Mich.) June 11, 2017
Mining has, for some time now, been considered by many a contentious issue, and a delicate balancing act between a means of providing desirable economic benefits and a process that potentially leads to avoidable long-lasting environmental concerns.
Precisely that situation, where opposing viewpoints and contrary opinions are voiced, played out at a recent public forum held by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. The DEQ meeting was about a permit request made earlier this year by Eagle Mine, which has its nickel and copper operation in northern Michigamme Township and its processing unit at the Humboldt Mill in Humboldt Township.
Eagle Mine, a subsidiary of Toronto-based Lundin Mining Corp., wants to expand its operation by extracting a high-grade nickel and copper deposit known as Eagle East. The ore body is a bit deeper than the company’s current mining operation, and is situated about 1.5 miles eastward.
Eagle already began digging an access tunnel toward the new deposit, but now needs a permit amendment to allow it to finish the tunnel and begin mining.
The community meeting took place on Thursday at the Westwood High School auditorium, where a relatively small crowd was in attendance _ a small crowd relative to the number of people mining in the Upper Peninsula has impacted over the past several years.
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: mining has had a tremendous influence on our region. For better or worse, the industry has shaped the culture, affected numerous families and businesses, and altered the very ground and environment many of us call home.
Regardless of the number of folks at Thursday’s meeting, it appeared to be a good healthy debate, with a strong showing of support from those who favor allowing the amendment to go through, as well as those who’ve long opposed the mine, since before it began operations several years back. Certainly, gathering public input is the reason why the DEQ hosts meetings such as these, and the topic is no small matter.
Both sides seem to have merit, and it’s easy to see how complex the balance between economics and environment really is. |
