Wild Blueberry Newsletter, September 2018
September 2018
Crop Comments
Overall, the State of Maine’s 2018 wild blueberry yield is lower than previous years due to the late frost/freeze events. The difference between irrigated and non-irrigated fields was very clear and warrants future irrigation timing research.
Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) buildup was delayed early in the harvest season due to the mid-summer extremely hot temperatures which were hard on the flies. Trap numbers exploded during the week of August 13, 2018. Few farms escaped liquefied berries toward the end of the season. Red solo-cup trapping is required to manage this pest. An excellent How-To Trap SWD Video can be found on the Wild Blueberry Videos page of our UMaine Extension website.
Our very own Frank Drummond is also involved in national SWD research:
- Watch this webinar to hear the latest on SWD: Objective 2.3: Develop monitoring tools that accurately estimate SWD populations (mp4) (Google Drive)
UMaine Extension Events
Decision Making for Your Farm’s Future (Blueberry Farm Succession Workshop)
- Date: October 3
- Time: 8:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
- Location: UMaine Machias, Science Rm. 102
- Register: on the Decision Making for your Farm’s Future page by calling 207.581.2892. Free event with lunch included. You must register so we know how much food to get.
Farming for a Living Downeast; “So You Want to Farm in Maine” Course
- Dates: November 5, 8, 13, and 15
- Time: 1:00-4:00 p.m.
- Location: All four classes at the Machias UMaine Extension Office
- Cost: $50
- Register: on the “So, You Want to Farm in Maine?” Course – Washington County page or by calling 207.255.3345 (Washington County Extension Office).
Open to all farmers in the Downeast Region, this is a business management course. You will learn how to make your own enterprise budgets and improve your record keeping.
If you have not completed Lily’s Blueberry Grower Needs Survey, please do! Visit the Blueberry Grower Needs Survey page.
Sincerely,
Lily Calderwood
Extension Blueberry Specialist
Wild blueberry fact sheets, past newsletters, contacts, resource links, calendar of events, and more can be found on the Cooperative Extension’s Maine Wild Blueberries website.
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.
© 2018
Call 800.287.0274 (in Maine), or 207.581.3188, for information on publications and program offerings from University of Maine Cooperative Extension, or visit extension.umaine.edu.
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