Rob Sirrine, Erin Lizotte and Ashley McFarland from MSU Extension are in charge of carrying out the occasion, with help from the Michigan Brewers Guild and a non-profit organization called ISLAND. 

Sirrine said one of the benefits of the conference is that there will be experts presenting who can provide a level of expertise to farmers beyond what is usually available. 

“Some of the major players in the hop industry are going to be here, giving presentations on agronomic practices, post-harvest considerations, quality, best management practices, things like that,” Sirrine said. “What we’re hoping is that growers will take what they learn and increase the quantity and quality of their hops, as well as the barley that they’re growing also.” 

This is not the first time MSU has been involved in supporting the state's blossoming beer industry. 

MSU created a new specialization back in 2013 for Beverage Specialization, a series of classes aimed at teaching students the basics of brewing, winemaking and distilling. 

Dr. Frederik Derkson of MSU's Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition said that the response from students in those classes has been "overwhelmingly positive." 

Derkson also said that MSU's renowned Artisan Distilling program, a program that's hard to find at other universities, is helping to create more distilling companies and give people in Michigan opportunities to setup businesses. 

 “We’re very actively involved in giving startup companies, particularly in the distilling side of things, advice about products that they could make, how to do it, how to do it safely, those sorts of things, so that they can get going and contribute to economic developments here in the state,” Derkson said.