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Yakima Chief Ranches

Footprints®

"The best fertilizer is a farmer’s footprints in the field."

FOOTPRINTS® is the comprehensive brand management program created to ensure the highest level of attention is given to the growing and harvesting of our hops. We employ fully-dedicated personnel to make certain these standards are met.  Since the inception of FOOTPRINTS® in 2012, YCR managed brands have consistently been among the purest and highest quality hops on the market and have garnered an excellent reputation for quality and consistency.

Varietal Purity

YCR supplies true-to-type rootstock for each managed brand ensuring varietal purity.

  • New plantings shall occur in fields that did not previously cultivate hops. If a field did have hops in the ground, it must be fumigated prior to planting any YCR managed brand.
  • Yards are scouted throughout the year to identify any off-types or males. If off-type plants are located, their removal is coordinated with the grower.
Food Safety

Green Chief Program

YCR is committed to providing brewers with the cleanest, highest-quality hops possible. To maintain this commitment, we require adherence to YCH's GreenChief® farm quality program.

  • An early season facility walkthrough is conducted at every farm to help growers identify potential issues with food safety.
  • A pre-harvest audit ensures any food safety infraction identified during the early season walkthrough has been addressed.
  • Ongoing food safety training is required for YCR employees.
  • Pesticide use is monitored to ensure all applications are administered within the legal limits for pesticide residues.
Crop Management

YCR works with growers to ensure best management practices are applied to each brand. This includes:

  • Optimal training dates.
  • Integrated grower support through joint collaboration with YCH.
  • Optimized harvest window dates.
  • All YCR managed fields are GPS mapped to aid in crop management and traceability.
Harvest Quality & Traceability

Even the highest quality crop can be compromised with faulty harvest and kilning practices. YCR requires specific standards on how our brands are harvested to ensure a consistent, high-quality product.

  • Aroma hops are dried at a lower temperature (as dictated by individual varietal standards) to preserve oil content.
  • Hops must be clean, free of debris, and a consistent green color true-to-type.
  • Kiln depth may not exceed 30 inches to maintain a uniform dryness.
  • Delivered bales must have a moisture rating between 8.5% and 10.5%.
  • YCR and YCH employ key measures of traceability to ensure YCR hops can be monitored from the fields of our growers to the fermenters of our customers.
  • We provide detailed annual performance reports and rankings to growers for feedback and continuous improvement opportunities.
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©2022 Yakima Chief Ranches

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