By: Taraya Middleton
First-Year Brewmaster Student
The rolling prairie farmlands of central Alberta are a lovely shade of golden straw brown mixed with plots of green. The land is slowly coming out of the long winter hibernation and farmers are working long days to prep the soil for seeding. It would be best if you cared about the state of Alberta's farmlands because nearly half of the yearly Canadian export of 620,000 tonnes of barley comes from Alberta farms. The impact of all this hard work is showcased by brewers both local and international, at the micro- and macro-levels.
It's early May, and heavy rain, snow, and hail have moved through the Calgary-area around noon, tracking east towards Strathmore. For those in the farming industry, it's another Alberta weather pattern that requires patience as it will eventually blow over. It might push seeding schedules back by a few hours, or days, but hopefully not much longer. For everyone else, well, it’s a minor inconvenience that follows the old saying of, “wait five minutes for the weather to change.” We know sunny skies are not far behind.
Just outside of Strathmore, Alberta is a unique family-owned and operated legacy business farming barley designated for the Alberta beer industry. Hilton Ventures is about more than just growing barley. It's about being local; it's about grain to glass; it's about working with and conserving the limited acres of farmland required to grow a staple beer ingredient - barley.
"The beauty of the world getting smaller is that people can see the beginning (through) to the end. (There's) a link to who's growing food" says Spencer Hilton, president of Hilton Ventures. Once harvested, barley is sent to Origin Malting and Brewery in the nearby town to be kilned and roasted. It's then used in the brewery to produce award-winning beers like the Legal Issues Scottish export ale and The Darkness porter, beers that took home the silver and bronze medals, respectively, at the 2019 Canadian Beer Awards.
Some of the 12,000 acres farmed by Hilton Ventures were seeded as early as April 22, meaning that by the first week of May the barley should be a few inches above the ground. However, Mother Nature decided otherwise by sending two massive early spring snow storms. The storms were so bad that all traffic on the highways and in the cities came to a standstill with some motorists stranded for a few hours. Lucky for Spencer and Hilton Ventures, those storms didn’t detract from the growing period; only delaying things. Kneeling on the ground and using a trowel, Spencer uncovers a few green shoots starting to poke through the soil, estimating that in a few weeks or so, the barley will be a couple of feet high.
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| First year students' Josh (L) and Dave (R) flank Spencer Hilton |
The technique of seeding the land is what sparked a random conversation between Spencer and some Olds College brewmaster students enjoying a beer at Origin Malting and Brewery. Wanting to know more, and learn about the ways in which Hilton Ventures is applying the techniques for soil conservation, Spencer invited the students to tour the farm land and observe seeding in action.
Back in the early 1900s, it was standard protocol to till the land before seeding. Farmers who had innovative equipment at the time, would stir up the dirt, kicking up dust and sand, and disturb the microorganisms within the soil. These significant disturbances kept soil equilibrium off-balance and resulted in an increased amount of fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides, and other chemical application to the fields. Through trial and error, Spencer's grandfather took half a field and farmed the old way, and the other half to try something new and what would later become a unique approach studied and implemented by Wayne Lindwall, from Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada Lethbridge Research and Development Centre. Lindwall coined the term 'conservation tillage' to explain the large-scale change that was taking place to guard against soil and water erosion on the prairies. Solving the soil management problem was critical for sustaining annual crop agriculture. Spencer's grandfather was prepared to try anything to ensure the family's livelihood, and to reduce the destruction from continual soil mismanagement.
The term ‘no-tillage’ means having the least amount of soil disturbance getting seeds into the ground. Over the years, Spencer has noticed that the plants are more vigorous and hardier because of the makeup of the soil and environment. "There are more earthworms now than there were 30 years ago!" he exclaims as he's digging in the dirt, hunting for worms. It's a bit too cold for them to be near the top, but they are there deep down. Earthworms are the macro indicator of the millions of microorganisms in a meter squared; you only have to look at the fertile black soil to understand that conservation tillage is working.
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Using a custom-blend of nutrients to help seeds thrive in the Alberta environment can be contradictory to expectations. However, without adequate nutrients, the seeds won't germinate, and we wouldn't have the acres and acres of barley fields that cover the Alberta landscape. Two-row Alberta barley is in high demand for the one-hundred plus breweries in Alberta, including such famous American breweries like Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, California. In a world continually demanding more and more from such small areas of farmland, the more we understand soil management and nutrient placement, the more that can be grown to turn into delicious beer. “We put the exact nutrient requirements for plants to survive right alongside the seed we’re planting,” Spencer remarks.
What Hilton Venture’s employs in the fields has far-reaching consequences. Using precision equipment, outlying valves on tractors shut off when coming into contact with headlands. With minimal soil disruption, Spencer can control the number of seeds introduced to the soil and the quantity of highly calculated fertilizer concentration, ensuring a hospitable environment for good microorganisms while minimizing opportunities for harmful ones to proliferate. The no-tillage approach also has an added benefit of trapping 300,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide throughout all plots owned by Hilton Ventures. By reducing tilling and limiting soil disruption, carbon dioxide, through the act of photosynthesis – conversion of light energy into chemical energy that can later be released to fuel organisms’ activities - becomes a good source of nutrients for microbes thus producing better crops.
With the increase of climate change-related catastrophes and destruction and more outcry from people demanding safer food sources, the sequestration of carbon dioxide becomes more critical. Not only does an increase in carbon dioxide provide additional energy and fuel a plants' growth, but it also means a reduction in water usage and increased water-use efficiency. With the moniker of prairie dust bowl still prevalent in many conversations, Hilton Ventures is quickly becoming known for their willingness to adapt and change to ensure the fruitfulness of the land.
So, to save the world and cut down on carbon emission, I strongly encourage you to drink more beer!
Taraya Middleton is a first-year student in the 6th cohort. Her future goals are focused on bringing Alberta's beer history to light, and showcasing the rich folklore associated with beer in the province.