Summer Tour at Highmoor Farm
July 29, 2026, 1:00 p.m. — 7:00 p.m. (Rain date: July 30)
Highmoor Farm, Monmouth, Maine (directions)
The Maine Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Maine Cooperative Extension at Highmoor Farm and the Maine State Pomological Society is hosting the annual Summer Tour on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m. The day will be separated into sections intended for tree fruit growers and small fruit and vegetable growers with a catered dinner in between the sessions. All are welcome for the dinner. See the agenda below for more details about the day. The orchard tour will commence before dinner, and the small fruit and vegetable tour will begin after dinner at 6:00 p.m.
Cost for tour and dinner is $35. The cost for members of the Maine Pomological Society is paid for by the Society, two per grower-membership.
Cost for the tour only is $10.
One pesticide applicator recertification credit has been approved for attending the tour.
Agenda
1:00 p.m. — Welcome and Registration
1:15 p.m. — Dean Diane Rowland, Director of the Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station, and Dean Hannah Carter, Dean of UMaine Cooperative Extension)
1:45 p.m. — Kari Peters, Penn State University, “Solving the Mystery of Rapid Apple Decline”. There have been many instances of apple tree decline over the last several years, and the potential causes have been varied: rapid apple decline (RAD), soilborne diseases, viruses, winter injury, herbicide injury, to just name a few. This talk will cover the latest information we have found on rapid apple decline, viruses, and soilborne diseases. Management options, including rootstock selection, horticultural considerations, and fungicide options, will also be discussed for each issue when possible.
2:15 p.m. — Bella Russo, AgrAbility program of UMaine Cooperative Extension, “Prevention and Management of Repetitive Motion Injuries”
2:45 p.m. — Pomological Society reports from standing committees
3:00 p.m. — Break
3:15 p.m. — Orchard Tour
- Identifying and Managing Common Diseases of Apple and Peach. Strategies for keeping scab, fireblight and brown rot in check. Growing apples and peaches in the Eastern U.S. can be challenging because our environmental conditions favor nearly all diseases. This update will provide the latest information for identification and management strategies for diseases giving growers the most headaches: apple scab, powdery mildew, apple (Marssonina) blotch, bitter rot, fire blight, and brown rot. The most effective fungicides for each disease will be discussed, along with the optimal application timing.
- Cold hardiness in New and Old Peach Varieties. How 20 varieties compare in early winter hardiness and flower bud survival.
- Breeding Apple and Peach Varieties. Breeding better summer apples and cold hardy peaches.
5:00-6:00 p.m. — Dinner (Lasagna, shepherd’s pie, squash ravioli, salad, rolls and dessert)
6:00-7:30 p.m. — Small Fruit and Vegetable Tour: David Handley, Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist, and Peyton Ginakes, Research Associate in Vegetable Production.
- A tour of vegetable and small fruit trials after dinner will include highbush blueberries, dumpling squash, kabocha squash, cabbage, pumpkin, and sweet corn.
Directions to Highmoor Farm:
From the South: I95 exit 86, turn left on Rte. 9 and continue 0.7 miles, then take a right onto Pleasant Hill Road for 0.8 miles. Continue through the stoplight where the road becomes Rte. 132 (Wales Rd. and then Pond Rd.) for 4.6 miles. Take left onto Leeds Junction Road, travel 2.9 miles to Rte. 202. Turn right onto Rte. 202 and Highmoor Farm will be on the right (about 1.5 miles).
From the North: Take I95 exit 109b, and travel west on Route 202 (towards Winthrop) for 16 miles.
Our physical address: 52 US Route 202, Monmouth, ME 04259.
If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact Renae Moran at 207.713.7083 or 207.933.2100 or by email: rmoran@maine.edu by July 20, 2026. If requests are received after this date, we may not have sufficient time to make necessary arrangements.
The event will be held at Highmoor Farm part of the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station at the state’s R1 public research university.
University of Maine Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity institution and provider committed to fostering a nondiscriminatory environment and complying with all applicable nondiscrimination laws. Consistent with State and Federal law, UMaine Extension does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, veterans or military status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in employment, education, and all other programs and activities.
The University of Maine System provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the UMaine ADA Coordinator or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
If you believe you have experienced discrimination or harassment, you are encouraged to contact the System Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX Services at 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, Orono, ME 04469-5713, by calling 207.581.1226, or via TTY at 711 (Maine Relay System). For more information about Title IX or to file a complaint, please contact the UMS Title IX Coordinator at www.maine.edu/title-ix. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-a-program-discrimination-complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 9410, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.