Wild Blueberry Newsletter, December 2018

Wild Blueberry Newsletter header graphic, text and a photo of blueberries and leaves

December 2018

78th Annual Agricultural Trade Show: Pesticide Credit Talks

There will be Pesticide Applicator Recertification sessions at the Annual Agricultural Trade Show on January 15-17, 2018 in the Kennebec/Penobscot Room at the Civic Center in Augusta, Maine.  Licensed pesticide applicators and dealers who attend sessions may earn one credit for each hour-session attended.

In addition to the schedule below the BPC has reserved the Fort Western Room. In this room, UMCE and BPC will present a three-hour training session to prepare growers for the Private Pesticide Applicator Core exam. After the Core exam training, both Core and Commodity exams will be administered.  (Pre-registration is required.) Details should be available on the Board of Pesticides Control website.

The schedule is as follows:

Presentations and Meetings Scheduled for the Kennebec/Penobscot Room

Tuesday, January 15

  • 9:30-10:30 a.m.: Bt Corn Update, John Jemison, UMaine
  • 10:45-11:45 a.m.: Maine Board of Pesticide Control Update, BPC Staff
  • 2:00-3:00 p.m.: Use of Disinfectants on the Farm: What They Are, How They Work and Use Precautions, Linda Titus, Ag Matters
  • 3:15-4:15 p.m.: Respirators: What You Need to Know, Jason Lilley, UMaine

Wednesday, January 16

  • 9:00-10:00 a.m.: Pesticide Risks: What You Need to Know, Pam Bryer, BPC
  • 10:15-11:15 a.m.: Pesticide Application Equipment Calibration Part I, George Hamilton, UNH
  • 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Pesticide Application Equipment Calibration Part II, George Hamilton, UNH
  • 1:30-2:30 p.m.: Emerging Invasive Insects: Emerald Ash Borer, Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, and Spotted Wing Lanternfly, Karen Coluzzi, MDACF and MFS Staff
  • 3:00-4:00 p.m.: BPC Meeting
  • 4:00-5:00 p.m.: Open Forum for Growers, Applicators and the Public, BPC and Maine IPM Council
  • 5:00-6:00 p.m.: BPC Meeting, continued

Thursday, January 17

  • 9:00-10:00 a.m.: Number One Plant Disease of Vegetables, Tree Fruit, Ornamentals, and Shade Trees, Alicyn Smart, UMaine
  • 10:15-11:15 p.m.: Wild Blueberry Pest Management Update, Seanna Annis and Dave Yarborough, UMaine
  • 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Pollinators and Pesticides, Best Management Practices to Reduce Exposure, Frank Drummond and Lily Calderwood, UMaine
  • 12:45-1:45 p.m.: Applications of Unmanned Aerial Systems for IPM, Matt Wallhead, UMaine

UMaine Wild Blueberry Conference: Save the Date

The wild blueberry conference will be held on February 28, 2019 with a snow date of March 4, 2019 from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Black Bear Inn, 4 Godfrey Dr., Orono, Maine.  This event takes the place of three spring meetings that have been held in the past and pesticide credits will be available. Pre-registration is required (event is free). You can register on the UMaine Wild Blueberry Conference – Orono, February 28, 2019 page or call 1.800.287.0274 if you do not have web access. Program details will be provided in an upcoming newsletter.

Wild Blueberry Specialist Retires

This will be my last newsletter as I will be retiring on April 30, 2019. Dr. Lily Calderwood will be managing the programming from here on out. It has been a challenging and enjoyable experience being your wild blueberry specialist over the past 40 years and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work with wild blueberry growers in Maine.

Sincerely,

Dave

David E. Yarborough
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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