The Need

Hoffman Appalachian Farm is a small hops farm in Elk County owned and operated by Joshua Brock. The farm recently encountered obstacles in scaling its operations due to inefficient equipment. Joshua connected with PennTAP to address the farm’s production challenges, specifically regarding their harvesting and crop drying processes.

Leveraging PennTAP’s University Connections

Joshua was first introduced to PennTAP’s services through his participation in the PA Wilds Big Idea Contest, a $50,000 grand prize pitch competition co-sponsored by PennTAP.

PennTAP advisors Krista Schneider and Heidi Shadeck facilitated an introduction between Hoffman Appalachian Farm, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, and the Penn State College of Engineering Learning Factory, enabling the farm to collaborate with Penn State students on two capstone projects.

“Joshua was an excellent mentor for these students and provided outstanding opportunities for them to apply their knowledge in practical and innovative ways, supporting the growth of his local certified naturally grown farm,” said Heidi Shadeck.

The first project, led by a team of agricultural and biological engineering students, focused on redesigning and improving the farm’s hop-harvesting machine to increase the efficiency of separating hops from the bine. The second project, undertaken by a team of mechanical engineering students, aimed to develop a modular oast (a kiln for drying hops) to expand drying capacity.

Despite the project timeline falling outside the traditional hop-growing season, the student teams demonstrated initiative by cultivating hops in a Penn State greenhouse to test their design modifications, ensuring the improvements were practical and effective.

“Heidi listened closely to our specific needs and worked diligently to establish a strong working relationship between our farm, Penn State’s Learning Factory, and the student team. She consistently followed up on progress and has proven to be a valuable asset to PennTAP and everyone who collaborates with the organization,” said Joshua Brock. “Just as with her indispensable support on our previous project, Heidi’s work with Penn State was outstanding from beginning to end. We couldn’t have achieved this without her exceptional assistance!”

Outcomes & Benefits

This collaboration, supported by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) POWER grant and in partnership with organizations such as Ben Franklin Technology Partners, PA Wilds, and PA Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), provided Hoffman Appalachian Farm with over $6,000 in grant funding to fund these student projects.

With these student projects, the farm has improved its operational efficiency and is now better positioned to scale production and meet the growing demand for local hops. These advancements are expected to strengthen the agricultural economy in Elk County.

About the Client

Hoffman Appalachian Farm
Industry: Agriculture – Hops Farming
Contact: Joshua Brock, Farmer & Owner
Location: Elk County
Phone: 814-404-2929
Email: joshua@hoffmanappalachianfarm.co
Website: hoffmanappalachianfarm.com