Latest Past Events

2024 UMaine Wild Blueberry Conference

Moore Community Center 125 State Street, Ellsworth

Location: Moore Community Center, 125 State Street, Ellsworth, Maine 04605 (Venue Map Below) Format: In-person with breakout rooms, lunch, etc., Virtual: Available If you choose to attend virtually, the Zoom link will be emailed the day before the event. We are excited to gather, again to cover many aspects of wild blueberry production this year. While we encourage […]

Blue Hill Fresh Pack Meeting with PIZZA! CANCELED

Danner Dew Farm 1145 Pleasant Street, Blue Hill

This Field Day has been canceled. Pesticide Credits: 0 Cost: Free with donations accepted. Topics covered: Fresh pack operation and innovations with Danner Dewey, fresh pack line and food safety […]

Free

Blueberry Hill Farm Field Day

Blueberry Hill Farm 1643 US-1, Jonesboro

Pesticide Credits: 3 Lunch: Summer Picnic with meat and vegetarian options. Cost: Free with donations accepted.

Free

Orland Land Improvement Field Meeting with PIZZA!

44.579741, -68.721168 124 Upper Falls Road, Orland

Pesticide Credits: 0 Cost: Free with donations accepted. Topics Covered: Land-leveling, de-rocking, mulching, and carbon with Simeon Allen, Chris Phinney, Lily Calderwood, and John Zhang.

Free

Dresden Organic and Value-added Meeting with KIDS, CRISP and PIZZA!

Fields Fields Blueberries 565 Blinn Hill Road, Dresden

Pesticide Credits: 2 Cost: Free with donations accepted. Topics Covered: Field re-habilitation, mulching, drought management, weed, insect, pollinator, and disease management with Lily Calderwood, Phil Fanning, and Seanna Annis, food […]

Free

Jonesboro Spring IPM Field Meeting with PIZZA!

Blueberry Hill Farm 1643 US-1, Jonesboro

Pesticide Credits: 2 Cost: Free with donations accepted. Topics Covered: Pre and post-emergent herbicide stacking and fine leaf sheep fescue management with Josh Stubbs and Lily Calderwood, flea beetle and […]

Free

Hygienic Equipment Design for Wild Blueberry Growers

Brodis Blueberries 87 Jones Hill Road, Hope

Guest speaker: Chris Callahan, Associate Professor, Agricultural Engineering, University of Vermont Cooperative Extension. We will be working with two types of harvesters and a winnower/picking machine. Bring a clipboard if […]

Free

2023 UMaine Wild Blueberry Conference

Cross insurance Center 515 Maine Street, Bangor, Maine

Celebrating 125 Years of UMaine Wild Blueberry Research and Extension! 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. — Conference 4:00-7:00 p.m. —Social Time (Value-Added Vendors, Bar serving wild blueberry drinks, Dinner, and Keynote Speaker: […]

Free – $50

Blueberry Hill Farm Field Day

Blueberry Hill Farm 1643 US-1, Jonesboro

Blueberry Hill Farm 1643 Rt. 1, Jonesboro, ME This year’s big field day will feature a morning of IPM with UMaine researchers, and burgers on the grill for lunch, followed […]

Fresh Pack Line Meeting

Welch Farm 186 Roque Bluffs Road, Roque Bluffs

Welch Farm, Lisa & Wayne Hanscom 186 Roque Bluffs Road, Roque Bluffs, ME Welch Farm invested in a new fresh pack line from the Maine Wild Blueberry Equipment Company in […]

Mid-Coast IPM and Mulch Field Meeting

Brodis Blueberries 87 Jones Hill Road, Hope

Brodis Blueberries, Ron Howard Directions: 87 Jones Hill Rd, Hope is off of Rt 235. You cannot access the farm via Appleton. Join us at Brodis Blueberries to connect with other […]

Downeast IPM Field Meeting

Harmon Mountain Farm 2001 Northfield Road, Northfield

Harmon Mountain Farm, Ethan Davis Directions: 2001 Northfield Road, Northfield Harmon Mountain Farm is now under new management after the Antil’s retired. Join us to connect with each other and […]

Downeast IPM and Crop Management Field Meeting

Blueberry Hill Farm 1643 US-1, Jonesboro

Where: UMaine Blueberry Hill Farm, Jonesboro, ME When: Wednesday, May 25, 2022 Time: 10:00 am. – 12:00 p.m. 1643 US-1, Jonesboro, Maine 2 PA Credit.  

Organic Field Meeting

Blue Hill Berry Company 365 Rt 173, Surry

Blue Hill Berry Company, Nicholas Lindholm The field behind 365 Rt 172, Surry. This field is behind the Surry General Store but do NOT park at the store. Park either […]

Certifications Panel

online/synchronous

Eric Venturini will facilitate a panel on Certifications available to farmers including MOFGA Organic, Bee Better Certified, Non-GMO Project, and Certified Naturally Grown. All sessions start a 4:00 pm and […]

Drought and Water Management in Wild Blueberry

online/synchronous

Dr. Yongjiang Zhang, plant physiologist, will share his recent findings on climate change, drought, and water management in wild blueberry. All sessions start a 4:00 pm and could run for […]

Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine Update

online/synchronous

Eric Venturini, Executive Director, will share an update of Commission activities and Bruce Hall, Chair of the Wild Blueberry Commission Advisory Committee, will share the role of this committee on […]

Pollinators! (1PA Credit)

online/synchronous

Dr. Phil Fanning will discuss wild blueberry honey bee and bumblebee pollination in addition to the importance of our native pollinators in Maine wild blueberry production. All sessions start a […]

Calderwood Team Research Update

online/synchronous

Dr. Lily Calderwood and her team will share their most recent research results on multiple projects including phenological tracking of wild blueberry, dual-use solar, cold storage for fresh pack berries, […]

Business Management with Maine Farmland Trust

online/synchronous

As you may know, MFT has launched the first Wild Blueberry Business Management course which is currently underway. Alex Fouliard will share learnings from this course, their work with wild […]

Modern Wild Blueberry Production

online/synchronous

Bruce Hall, an agronomist at Wyman’s of Maine, will share their current methods and philosophies around growing wild blueberries. All sessions start a 4:00 pm and could run for 1 […]

Disease Management Update (1PA Credit)

online/synchronous

Dr. Seanna Annis will discuss the basics of disease management in wild blueberry and share her most recent findings on managing disease in wild blueberry for both conventional and organic […]

Expanding in to Value-Added Products

online/synchronous

New products and new markets have been arising for a few years now among both large and small-scale wild blueberry growers in Maine. This session will feature an organic wine […]

Improvements to Fresh Pack Lines for Quality and Food Safety

online/synchronous

Producing and marketing fresh-pack wild blueberries has numerous challenges including the use of specialized equipment, limited time for product harvest and processing, and issues of shelf-life and shrinkage, just to […]

H2-A Program: Finding Labor

online/synchronous

Join this session to learn about how and when to apply for migrant labor through the H2-A Federal Department of Labor program. All sessions start a 4:00 pm and could […]

Wild Blueberry Weed Management (1PA Credit)

online/synchronous

Dr. Lily Calderwood will kick off the conference with a talk covering the basics of wild blueberry weed management for both conventional and organic growers. She will also discuss the […]

Blueberry Hill Farm Field Day

Blueberry Hill Farm 1643 US-1, Jonesboro

The field day will take place in the morning this year. All sessions will be outside. A to-go lunch will be provided from Swamp Yankee BBQ! You MUST pre-register in […]

Free

Summer 2021 Field Days – Stockton Springs

Staples Homestead 302 Old County Road, Stockton Springs

Join us for a combined pest and crop management field meeting in Waldo County with the grower Josh Dixon. Dr. Calderwood’s UMaine team has a mulch research study at this […]

Free

Summer 2021 Field Days – Rockport

Join Dr. Calderwood, grower Paul Sweetland, and BlueWave Solar for a tour and discussion. You MUST pre-register in order to attend. Masks are encouraged and social distancing is required. For […]

Free

Summer 2021 Field Days – Brunswick

Crystal Spring Farm Brunswick

Join us for a combined pest and crop management field meeting in southern Maine with the grower Seth Kroeck. Kate McFarland, Assistant Agroforester for the USDA National Agroforestry Center, will […]

Free

Summer 2021 Field Days – Cherryfield

Cherryfield Foods land Bombing Range field Cherryfield

Join us for a combined pest and crop management field meeting on the barrens. Cherryfield Foods personnel will be attending to give us an irrigation demonstration and discuss their jack […]

Free

Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine Video Conference/Conference Call Meeting

To join the meeting by video conference (preferred), please follow the Video Conference Link:  https://maine.zoom.us/j/81350430248?pwd=dEJNNFZmaURFYnFoOFVrUStVd1l2Zz09; and enter the Password:  480163 To join the meeting by conference call (optional), please dial:  […]

**MOVED TO RAIN DATE** Fall Field Day – MidCoast

Brodis Blueberries 87 Jones Hill Road, Hope

**MOVED TO RAIN DATE: Wednesday, October 7, 2020** We hope you can join us for a socially distanced outdoor fall field meeting! In order to attend you MUST fill out […]

Outdoor Field Meeting (Downeast)

Would you like to join us for a socially distanced, outdoor field meeting this fall? Pre-registration is available online. Participants are required to wear masks and stand/sit at flags that […]

Fall Field Day – Washington County

We hope you can join us for a socially distanced outdoor fall field meeting! In order to attend, you MUST fill out this form by September 27, 2020. You can […]

Disease IPM with Dr. Seanna Annis

online/synchronous

Wild Blueberry "Happy Hour" Webinar Series Join us for live virtual field days throughout the month of July. We will be hosting four sessions: Weeds and Mulch, Insects, Climate Change, […]

Climate Change with Dr. John Zhang

online/synchronous

Wild Blueberry "Happy Hour" Webinar Series Join us for live virtual field days throughout the month of July. We will be hosting four sessions: Weeds and Mulch, Insects, Climate Change, […]

Insect IPM with Dr. Phil Fanning

online/synchronous

Wild Blueberry "Happy Hour" Webinar Series Join us for live virtual field days throughout the month of July. We will be hosting four sessions: Weeds and Mulch, Insects, Climate Change, […]

Covid-19 Wild Blueberry Harvest Discussion

online/synchronous

This meeting will cover updates on ways to minimize the spread of Covid-19 this harvest season. Growers of all sizes and end uses are encouraged to join. Call in via […]

Weeds, Mulch, and Foliar Fertility with Dr. Lily Calderwood

online/synchronous

Wild Blueberry "Happy Hour" Webinar Series Join us for live virtual field days throughout the month of July. We will be hosting four sessions: Weeds and Mulch, Insects, Climate Change, and Disease. Each presenter will have one hours worth of material to cover and participants will be welcome to ask questions/make comments throughout.   Call […]

No Coffee Hour July 3. Happy 4th of July!

online/synchronous

No Coffee Hour July 3. Happy 4th of July! Join Lily and your fellow growers with a cup of coffee every Friday from 8–9 am. Call in to ask wild blueberry questions, say hello, or listen to the discussion.   How: Same link/phone number every Friday Join from Computer  Password: 459071 Join from Telephone: US: […]

June Meeting of the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine

online/synchronous

Date: Tuesday, June 16, 2020 Time: 8:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://maine.zoom.us/j/97937963398?pwd=SHl3N0NOYkdkaU04eGFZWHV1N3QzUT09 Password: 491814 Or Telephone: US: +1 646 876 9923 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 408 638 0968 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 […]

Fresh Pack Wild Blueberry Harvest and Cleaning Line Discussion

online/synchronous

How will you protect yourself, your workers and your customers this harvest season? There are both concerns and great ideas out there so please join us for this discussion. Lily Calderwood from the University of Maine will lead this session.   Join from Computer: https://maine.zoom.us/j/99951052431?pwd=SU1HaG1rS1hHTkFhbU9mY2ppaFI1dz09 Password: 732310 Join from Telephone: US: +1 301 715 8592 […]

Covid-19 Q&A Session (Round Two)

online/synchronous

Do you have questions about the Paycheck Protection Plan, Maintaining a Safe Working Environment during Covid-19, or questions for the Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry? Call in for a wild blueberry specific discussion. Eric Venturini from the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine will lead this session.   Join by Computer: https://maine.zoom.us/j/92349565260?pwd=eG1FeWtTaW83dTlJcElZQjFUSjJYdz09 Password: 256657 Join by Phone: […]

The On-Ramp to Online Sales-getting ready to open your online store

online/synchronous

Join Linzy Witherspoon of Farmhand Automation, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry, and MOFGA for a session on The On-Ramp to Online Sales. In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, many of Maine’s farmers are looking to shift ordering online. In this session we’ll share what pieces you’ll need to get an online […]

Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine Meeting

Topic: Discuss threats and priorities around COVID-19 Date: Thursday, April 23, 2020 Time: 8:00 am – 12:00 pm Call-in Meeting: US: +1 646 876 9923 Meeting ID: 961 115 533 Password/Participant ID: 538628  

Covid-19 Maine Wild Blueberry Webinar April 21, 2020

We have invited state and federal experts to talk with the wild blueberry industry about production issues related to Covid-19. Topics will include labor, ways to work safely, farm loan programs, and the new CARES Act.           Introductions: Eric Venturini, Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine Quick University Update: Lily Calderwood, UMaine […]

CANCELLED–NH Wild Blueberry Grower and Producer Meeting

Tumble Cafe 21 Meadow Street, Sandbornville

Growers and landowners are invited to join us in a discussion and listening session on the future of the wild blueberry crop in New Hampshire. Marketing, value added products, crop diversification and preparing for a warming climate will be a focus. Emphasis on maintaining viability and profitability.

UMaine Wild Blueberry Conference-Bangor, February 22, 2020

Hollywood Slots Casino Hotel 427 Main Street, Bangor

(Snow date February 29, 2020) Register Online Registration Fee: Contribute what you can. Pesticide Applicator Credits: 3 Register early, space is limited to 200. 2020 Conference Agenda (click here) Would you like to be a sponsor of this event? Email lily.calderwood@maine.edu for details.

Downeast Agriculture Conference – Machias January 18, 2020

Lee/Pellon Center 90 Main St, Machias

(Snow date January 25, 2020) Register online Downeast Agriculture Conference Agenda (click here) Both land and sea based production will be included. The full agenda will be available online soon! Our goals for this event are to: Bring agricultural education and resources to Hancock and Washington counties. Connect farmers with other farmers, stakeholders, and organizations. […]

Recipe to Market: Is it for ME?

Hancock County Extension Office 63 Boggy Brook Road, Ellsworth

This half-day workshop will introduce participants to important topics that an aspiring entrepreneur needs to consider before starting a food business. Topics that will be presented include: opportunities and challenges of being a food entrepreneur, the specialty food industry, business basics, an overview of the product development process, licensing and regulations, and food safety concerns. […]

Free

Downeast National Heritage Area (NHA) Fall Summit Meeting

Schoodic Institute John G. Moore Auditorium, 9 Atterbury Cir., Winter Harbor

NHA Meeting Notes taken 10.09.2019 @ Schoodic Institute. Agenda 1:00 pm – Introduction and Welcome: Sarah Strickland 1:05 pm – Charles Rudelitch: “Why are we here today?” 1:15 pm – NHA presentation: Peter Samuel - NHA Northeast Region Program Manager 1:45 pm – “How the Physical Downeast Landscape Influences Our Communities’ Way of Life” –Dr. […]

Downeast Natural Heritage Area (NHA) Summit

Schoodic Institute 9 Atterbury Circle, Winter Harbor

NHA Meeting Notes taken 10.09.2019 @ Schoodic Institute Interested participants should RSVP to Catherine Lookabaugh 1:00 pm – Introduction and Welcome: Sarah Strickland 1:05 pm – Charles Rudelitch: “Why are we here today?” 1:15 pm – NHA presentation: Peter Samuel - NHA Northeast Region Program Manager 1:45 pm – “How the Physical Downeast Landscape Influences […]

Western Maine Wild Blueberry Growers Meeting

Brad LaRoche 47 Cook Road, Otisfield

Are you a wild blueberry grower in Western Maine? Come join us for a research and Extension update. Dr. Lily Calderwood, the new wild blueberry specialist, would love to meet […]

Free

Sprayer Calibration and Disease IPM @ Blueberry Hill Farm, Jonesboro, ME

Blueberry Hill Farm 1643 US-1, Jonesboro

Important for both organic and conventional growers of fruit and vegetables. Expertise: Lily Calderwood, Caragh Fitzgerald, Josh Stubbs, Seanna Annis UMaine Extension and Blueberry Hill Farm staff including Caragh Fitzgerald, […]

Disease report May 22nd

Hancock and Washington counties. I had a report that there are still some pinheads and cups around the barrens on May 20th.  I think we are near the end of […]