Harvest Pillar is helping Cornell University take hop research to new heights.

Researchers at Cornell AgriTech are testing 61 hop varieties to find the ones that can thrive for growers, perform in the field, and ultimately make great beer. And this year, they’re adding something new to the experiment: a 21-foot trellis built with Harvest Pillar prestressed concrete posts donated by Jensen Infrastructure.

Cornell’s traditional trellises are 18 feet tall, but some hop varieties grow beyond the top wire. The new Harvest Pillar system will help researchers study whether going higher can increase yields and whether those gains make sense for growers.

It’s exactly the kind of work Harvest Pillar was made for: helping growers build for today while testing what’s possible tomorrow.

And we’re growing, too. The same durable concrete posts used for hops, vineyards, and orchards are now expanding into agricultural, commercial, and residential fencing to bring a long-lasting alternative to traditional wood and steel posts to even more applications.

We’re proud to play a small part in research that could benefit hop growers, brewers, and beer lovers for years to come.

From the hop yard to the fence line, we’re excited about what grows next.

Read the full story from Cornell here: https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/09/hops-and-dreams-cornell-helps-new-varieties-go-field-glass