2023 UMaine Wild Blueberry Conference
Celebrating 125 Years of UMaine Wild Blueberry Research and Extension!
February 25, 2023 (Snow Date: February 26, 2023)
8:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Center, 515 Main Street, Bangor, Maine (Directions, Google Maps)
8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. — Conference
4:00-7:00 p.m. — Wild Blueberry Industry Soiree: A Social Networking Evening with Dinner and Drinks. They Keynote Speaker is Commissioner Amanda Beal of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry.
Format: In-person with breakout rooms, lunch, etc.
We were excited to gather, again, in person and cover many aspects of wild blueberry production this year. Below you will find 2023’s UMaine Wild Blueberry Conference agenda. We’ll be having two separate sessions throughout this all-day event, running concurrently between Rooms 1 (Ballroom) and 2 (Break Out). The schedule for the evening activities may be found below as well.
Three Pesticide Credits are available for full-day attendance. For questions regarding pesticide credits, email: lily.calderwood@maine.edu.
Cost: 0-$50
Would you like to be a sponsor of this event in the future? Email: lily.calderwood@maine.edu.
Agenda
Room 1 (Ballroom)
Climate Change
8:00-8:15 a.m. — Welcome Remarks, Get Your Coffee!
8:15-8:45 a.m. — Mulch, Dr. Lily Calderwood (UMaine Extension)
8:45-9:15 a.m. — Biochar, Dr. Yongjiang Zhang (UMaine)
9:15-9:45 a.m. — Pest Observations, Dr. Phil Fanning (UMaine) and Dr. Seanna Annis (UMaine)
9:45-10:00 a.m. — BREAK
10:00-10:30 a.m. — Precipitation Scenarios, Ali Bello (Grad Student, UMaine)
10:30-11:00 a.m. — Wyman’s Center Updates, Dr. Rachel Schattman (UMaine)
11:00-11:45 a.m. — Irrigation Feasibility, Adam Cattrell (NRCS)
11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m. — Lunch
1:00-1:45 p.m. — Solar and Wild Blueberry, Dr. Lily Calderwood and Farmers
2:00-3:00 p.m. — Food Safety Updates, Lindsey Werner (DACF), Dr. Rob Machado (UMaine Extension) and Dr. Jen Perry (UMaine)
Room 2 (Break Out)
Harvesting and Processing
8:15-9:00 a.m. — Harvester Innovations, Dr. Travis Esau (Dalhousie), via Zoom
9:00-9:30 a.m. — Revised Wild Blueberry Rake, Courtney Hammond and Ike Hubbard
9:30-9:45 a.m. — UMaine Extension’s New Ag Engineer: Dr. Sumon Datta (UMaine Extension)
9:45-10:00 a.m. — BREAK
10:00-10:45 a.m. — Van Dyk’s by Nature, Peter Van Dyk (Nova Scotia Value-Added Producer)
10:45-11:15 a.m. — Alternative Packing Formats, Nancy Tregunno (WPANS) via Zoom
11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m. — LUNCH
Pests and Pollinators
1:00-1:30 p.m. — Insect Pest Management, Dr. Phil Fanning (UMaine)
1:30-2:00 p.m. — Pollinators, Jennifer Lund (DACF)
2:00-2:30 p.m. — Disease Management, Dr. Seanna Annis (UMaine)
2:30-3:00 p.m. — Weed Control in Nova Scotia, Dr. Scott White (Dalhousie), via Zoom
3:00-3:30 p.m. — Organic Weed Management, Dr. Lily Calderwood (UMaine)
Download and Print (opens in new window):
Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine
3:30-4:00 p.m. — Agritourism Food Demonstration, Rob Dumas (UMaine)
4:00-7:00 p.m. — Wild Blueberry Industry Soiree: A Social Networking Evening with Dinner and Drinks. The Keynote Speaker is Commissioner Amanda Beal of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry.
If you are a person with a disability and need an accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Mary Michaud at mary.j.michaud@maine.edu or 207.581.3175 to discuss your needs. Receiving requests for accommodations at least 10 days before the program provides a reasonable amount of time to meet the request, however, all requests will be considered.