I was fortunate to start brewing right after the hop crisis. Since then the demand for hops has increased quite a bit with over 3000 craft breweries and home brewing exploding all over the US. Seems like every state north of North Carolina is starting to get small hop farmers growing again. Personally I think hops have been saved. The craving for new and more flavorful hops is bigger than ever and I don't think it will ever abate.
What about malt? Malt seems like a less romantic but equally important crop to me. Barley production has been dropping all over the US in favor of more lucrative crops like corn, beets, and beans. Now there seems to be a barley crisis on the horizon with much of the crops in Montana and Idaho facing disaster due to rains germinating the crops before they could be harvested and malted. Will it take a crisis like this to create a demand for more smaller barley farms and maltsters that can help pick up the pieces when large farms face disaster? I'd hate to think what will happen to beer and small breweries when bulk pricing for malt reaches $1/lb.
What do you all think?