Wild Blueberry Newsletter – May 2015
May 2015
Integrated Crop Management Field Training Sessions
The next session will cover mummy berry blight identification and monitoring, insect sweeping and identification, and weed identification and management and the last session will cover blueberry fly trapping, spotted wing drosophila ID and trapping, leaf and soil sampling, and weed identification and management.
| All Field Training sessions will be from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. | |
| Field Day Locations | Location |
| Knox/Lincoln Counties Tuesday, May 26, and June 30, 2015 |
Dean Dolham Route 235, 2740 Western Road Warren, Maine |
| Washington County Wednesday, May 27, and July 1, 2015 |
Blueberry Hill Farm 1643 Route 1 Jonesboro, Maine |
| Hancock County Thursday, May 28 and July 2, 2015 |
G. M. Allen’s Freezer Route 15, Orland, Maine |
One recertification credit per session will be offered for certified pesticide applicators for each session.
New Health Research on Wild Blueberries
A MIND Diet with Blueberries Might Cut the Risk of Developing Alzheimer’s Disease
http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-diet-might-cut-the-risk-of-developing-alzheimers-1429569168
Eating Blueberries May Improve Blood Pressure and Arterial Stiffness
http://newsletter.dole.com/2015/blueberries-better-blood-pressure/
Farmers Must File Conservation Certification Form by June 1
By June 1, 2015, farmers must file a Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification form (AD-1026) with the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in order to become or remain eligible for premium subsidy on crop insurance policies in the 2016 reinsurance year (July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016). Farmers and any affiliated persons must be in compliance with the Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation provisions.
Farmers participating in USDA programs such as marketing assistance loans, farm storage facility loans, and disaster assistance may already have a certification form on file. However farmers, such as specialty crop growers who receive federal crop insurance premium support, but may not participate in other USDA programs, must now file a certification form to maintain insurance premium support. Farmers should contact their local FSA office to verify that their form is on file. Form AD-1026 is available at local USDA service centers ttp://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app or at the USDA’s website at www.fsa.usda.gov/AD1026form.
The Maine Risk Management and Crop Insurance Program website can be found at http://umaine.edu/agriculture/maine-risk-management-and-crop-insurance-education-program/.
Lyme Disease Alert from the Maine CDC
Spring is here, so it’s time to think about the outdoors and proper protection against ticks. Maine had more than 1,395 cases of Lyme disease reported in 2014, a number that continues to increase yearly. May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month and we want to remind you the importance of daily tick checks and encourage the “inspect and protect” prevention strategy.
Ticks are primarily active in warmer months. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is caused by a bite from an infected deer tick (Ixodes scapularis). In Maine, Lyme disease is most common in adults 65 and over and children between the ages of 5 and 15, but anyone can get the disease. Individuals who work or play outside are more likely to be exposed to ticks. The most common and visible symptom of Lyme disease is a red bulls-eye rash that grows and appears within 3-30 days of exposure. Other symptoms may include fevers, and joint or muscle pain.
Lyme disease is treatable and most individuals recover completely with proper drugs. However, the easiest way to avoid the disease is prevention, using “No Ticks 4 ME”:
- Use caution in tick infested areas
- Wear protective clothing
- Use an EPA approved repellant
- Perform daily tick checks after any outdoor activity
A tick must be attached for a minimum of 24 hours before the infection can be passed on, further stressing the need for prompt and proper tick removal. If you are bitten by a tick, or work in a known tick habitat, watch for symptoms for up to 30 days, and call a healthcare provider if symptoms develop.
Deer ticks can transmit not only Lyme disease, but also two other tick-borne infections that are endemic in Maine: anaplasmosis and babesiosis. Cases of both these diseases are on the rise in Maine, as cases of anaplasmosis doubled for the second year in a row and cases of babesiosis increased from 2013. The majority of tick-borne illnesses occur during the summer months when ticks and humans are active outdoors.
Remember that the deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) is the only tick that can transmit Lyme disease, but there are other species of ticks throughout the state. Tick identification references are available to order online at Maine CDC’s website. The University of Maine Cooperative Extension Tick ID Lab offers free identification services and educational resources.
Additional information:
- Maine CDC has Lyme disease information available on our website at http://www.maine.gov/lyme http://www.maine.gov/lyme.
- Lyme disease data is available through the Maine Tracking Network at http://www.maine.gov/idepi under Epidemiology Information on the left hand side of the page.
- University of Maine Cooperative Extension Tick ID Lab submission instructions can be found at https://extension.umaine.edu/ipm/tickid/.
- To continue getting Lyme updates throughout May, please like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MaineCDC.
Sincerely,
David E. Yarborough
Extension Blueberry Specialist
Wild blueberry fact sheets, past newsletters, contacts, resource links, calendar of events, and more can be found at the wild blueberry website: www.wildblueberries.maine.edu
Information in this publication is provided purely for educational purposes. No responsibility is assumed for any problems associated with the use of products or services mentioned. No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products or companies implied.
© 2015
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