Hop Stocks ISSN: 1949-1484 Released March 22, 2011, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). March 1 Hop Stocks Up 7 Percent From Last Year The inventory of hops held by growers, dealers, and brewers on March 1, 2011, totaled 109 million pounds, 7 percent more than March 1, 2010. This a record high for March 1 hop stocks, surpassing the previous record of 102 million pounds on March 1, 2010. Stocks held by brewers, at 54.0 million pounds, were up 15 percent from a year ago. Stocks held by growers and dealers on March 1, 2011, totaled 55.0 million pounds, unchanged from last year. Hop Stocks Held by Growers, Dealers, and Brewers - United States: 2008-2011 [Includes equivalent pounds of dry hops held in extract or pellet form] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : September 1 : March 1 Stocks :------------------------------------------------------------- : 2008 : 2009 : 2010 : 2009 : 2010 : 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 pounds : Stocks held by: : : Dealers/Growers : 18,000 25,000 38,000 42,000 55,000 55,000 Brewers ........: 29,000 40,000 45,000 40,000 47,000 54,000 : Total stocks ...: 47,000 65,000 83,000 82,000 102,000 109,000 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Statistical Methodology Survey Procedures: Grower surveys are conducted in the three estimating States (Washington, Idaho, and Oregon) to collect stocks of hops held by growers. Additionally, contacts are made to collect stocks held by brewers and dealers. Telephone follow-up of mail survey non-respondents is used to ensure adequate coverage. Estimating Procedures: Information obtained from the hops stocks grower, dealer, and brewers surveys are used to establish estimates of hops stocks. These estimates are reviewed for errors, reasonableness, and consistency with historical estimates. Revision Policy: All hop stocks estimates are subject to revision the following year based on a thorough review of all available data. Reliability: Survey indications are subject to sampling variability because all operations storing hops are not included in the sample. Survey results are also subject to non-sampling errors such as omission, duplication, imputation for missing data, and mistakes in reporting, recording, and processing the data. These errors cannot be measured directly, but are minimized through rigid quality controls in the data collection process and a careful review of all reported data for consistency and reasonableness. Information Contacts Listed below are the commodity statisticians in the Crops Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to nass@nass.usda.gov Lance Honig, Chief, Crops Branch............................................. (202) 720-2127 Jorge Garcia-Pratts, Head, Fruits, Vegetables and Special Crops Section...... (202) 720-2127 Debbie Flippin - Fresh and Processing Vegetables, Onions, Strawberries.. (202) 720-2157 Fred Granja - Apples, Apricots, Cherries, Plums, Prunes, Tobacco ....... (202) 720-4288 Jorge Garcia-Pratts - Floriculture, Maple Syrup, Nursery, Tree Nuts .... (202) 720-2127 Chris Hawthorn - Citrus, Coffee, Grapes, Tropical Fruits................ (202) 720-5412 Tierra Mobley - Berries, Cranberries, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes ......... (202) 720-4285 Dan Norris - Austrian Winter Peas, Dry Edible Peas, Lentils, Mints, Mushrooms, Peaches, Pears, Wrinkled Seed Peas, Dry Beans .......... (202) 720-3250 Kim Ritchie - Hops...................................................... (360) 709-2400 Access to NASS Reports For your convenience, you may access NASS reports and products the following ways: All reports are available electronically, at no cost, on the NASS web site: http://www.nass.usda.gov Both national and state specific reports are available via a free e- mail subscription. To set-up this free subscription, visit http://www.nass.usda.gov and in the "Receive NASS Updates" box under "Receive reports by Email," click on "National" or "State" to select the reports you would like to receive. 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