Wild Blueberry Newsletter, October 2025
Wild Blueberry Newsletter
October 2025
Upcoming Events
Better Soil, Better Blueberries, organized by WA County Soil and Water Conservation District
More Information
Date: Wednesday, Oct 8, 2025
Time: 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Location: Blue Ox Blueberries, 3 Damon Ridge Rd, Charlotte, ME
Register by Phone or Email: (207) 255-4659, wacomeswcd@gmail.com
Mulching and Irrigating Wild Blueberry Fields Organized by UMaine Extension
Date: Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025
Time: 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Location: Brodis Blueberries, 87 Jones Hill Rd, Hope, ME (cannot come from the Jones Hill Rd in Appleton)
Register Here or call Mary Michaud 207.581.3175
Business Planning Courses offered by Extension’s Farm Business Team: Dr. Jason Entsminger and Brett Johnson
Business Planning for Producers begins November 5th and runs through February 5th. This allows producers to work through a business plan and receive plan development mentorship in a structured program.
More advanced producers should consider SustainME: Sustainable Business Model Innovation, which is geared toward audiences who have some baseline knowledge of venture planning but require more intensive help. SustainME has a pilot cohort running, with Level 2 workshops scheduled in October and November followed by Level 3 coaching sessions running November through January.
Build a Better Business workshops were recently held for outdoor recreation businesses, providing contained mentoring in a one-day intensive format. If a county shows sufficient interest, the Extension team can plan another workshop there.
Extension’s general capacity around Business Management to support one-on-one business plan consult services outside of structured programs is limited, and when that is what clients prefer, I connect them with their local SBDC office and with the SCORE mentorship program, both of which are specifically funded for capacity to engage in this kind of higher-touch programming.
Free Items from Worcester’s Wild Blueberries
The following items are free. I hope someone can use them. We are located between Bradford and Milo.
- 12 Styrofoam coolers: 17″ x 14″ x 11″
- 20+ freezer packs: 9″ x 4″ x 1 1/2″
- 1,000 u-line plastic re-closable bags: 3″ x 4″
Contact: Lee H. Worcester, Worcester’s Wild Blueberries, 207.943.8804
Updated Drought Maps
The U.S. Drought Monitor updates drought maps nationally every Thursday. The D3 severe drought in Maine continues to expand east.
Sincerely,
Lily
Dr. Lily Calderwood
Extension Wild Blueberry Specialist
Associate Professor of Horticulture