Washington, D.C.
– U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Oregon State
University (OSU) will receive more than $180,000 in federal funds to research
and develop management strategies for the fusarium canker fungus killing
hops in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.
“Since 98% of U.S.
hops are grown right here in the Pacific Northwest, Oregon State University’s
topnotch researchers are well-positioned to provide key insights into how to
manage the growing threat this fungus poses,” Wyden said. “I am gratified to see these dollars go
toward protecting hops production, as Oregon’s thriving hop production and
brewing industries are key players in our state’s job creation, economic growth
and tourism.”“If you like beer,
you should love this grant,” said Senator Merkley. “Oregon’s thriving hops industry supports
brewers large and small here in Oregon and across the nation and is a strong
driver of Oregon’s economy. I look forward to seeing how OSU uses this funding
to study the fungus that is threatening hop crops to help protect this vital
industry for our state and beyond.”
A fungus called fusarium canker has been an
increasingly greater threat to hop production in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington,
which produce 98% of U.S. hops. OSU will use the $182,633
in federal funds to study the fungus in order to manage its spread in commercial
yards and propagative rootstock material. Researchers will work with hop
producers to reduce the fusarium canker threat for U.S. hop production
in the Pacific Northwest.
“A fungus that
causes a disease called fusarium canker has been an increasingly
greater threat to hop production in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington, which
produce 98% of U.S. hop cones that are used for brewing beer,” said Dr.
Cynthia Ocamb, Extension Plant Pathologist in the Department of Botany and
Plant Pathology at OSU. “There is very
little known about the disease, so these funds will allow OSU to study the
fungus alongside USDA scientists and hop growers in order to manage its spread
in commercial hop yards and propagative rootstock material throughout the Pacific
Northwest.”
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