28 Our Advertisers Appreciate Your Business Better Farming | May/June 2024 UP CLOSE considering opening a craft brewery, they realized there was a greater opportunity for the family to work with specialty malt. “It was closer to our area of expertise, with being attached to the farm.” The family grows malt barley, wheat, canola, peas, oats, and rye on the acres run by Hamill farms. Most of the barley that goes through the malthouse is grown on their own farm, closing some of the gap between farming and the end-users of grain products. Both the farm and the malthouse are still a full family effort. “My role on the farm is fairly limited – I would describe myself as a swather jockey at best,” jokes Matt. Matt’s parents John and Susie do the majority of the farming. Matt’s brother Joe has also taken on a larger role with the farm and has been making more management decisions. In the malthouse, Susie looks after the books and invoicing, and Joe is responsible for production. Joe’s wife Daelyn manages marketing and social media. Matt says that his priority is sales, and his wife Sonja has taken up a role in production. As the family works at multiple stages in the chain of production for their grains, they continue to seek strategies to increase quality and sustainability. “We are always looking for ways to be more sustainable and are constantly adjusting crop rotations and inputs. The specialty malt is really what separates us,” says Matt. “We are always looking at new varieties and more progressive ways to do things. We work closely with the Field Crop Development Centre in Lacombe. They do barley breeding right in Alberta and it allows us to see the latest and greatest varieties out there coming up through the regulatory system.” Matt is also a part of the Barley Quality Evaluation Team of the Prairie Recommending Committee for Oats and Barley as part of the Prairie Grains Development Committee, where he The Hamills are proud to see breweries that use their malt products win awards. Joe Hamill manages production in the malthouse. David Dinan, Hot Shoe Studio photo David Dinan, Hot Shoe Studio photo
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