BANGOR — University of Maine Cooperative Extension will host its annual wild blueberry conference on Saturday, Feb. 25, from 8 a.m. - 4  p.m., at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. An industry soiree will follow the conference from 4 - 7 p.m., with value-added vendors, dinner and keynote speaker Amanda Beal, commissioner of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

Conference sessions will focus on integrated pest and pollinator management, climate change, harvesting and processing. Specific topics include irrigation, mulch, biochar, dual-use solar, food safety, harvester improvements, a new rake and other exciting innovations occurring in both Maine and Nova Scotia. Sessions will be led by UMaine Extension and University of Maine educators and researchers; industry experts; representatives from DACF and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS); and farmers from Maine and Canada. 

The conference fee is $0–$50 sliding scale; registration is required. Register and find the agenda on the event webpage. Pesticide credits will be available.

For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Mary Michaud, 207.581.3175; mary.j.michaud@maine.edu. 

About University of Maine Cooperative Extension

As a trusted resource for over 100 years, University of Maine Cooperative Extension has supported UMaine's land and sea grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county. UMaine Extension helps support, sustain and grow the food-based economy. It is the only entity in our state that touches every aspect of the Maine Food System, where policy, research, production, processing, commerce, nutrition, and food security and safety are integral and interrelated. UMaine Extension also conducts the most successful out-of-school youth educational program in Maine through 4-H.

 
About the University of Maine: The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state's land grant, sea grant and space grant university, with a regional campus at the University of Maine at Machias. UMaine is located on Marsh Island in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation. UMaine Machias is located in the homeland of the Passamaquoddy Nation. As Maine's flagship public university, UMaine has a statewide mission of teaching, research and economic development, and community service. UMaine is the state's public research university and a Carnegie R1 top-tier research institution. It attracts students from all 50 states and 86 countries. UMaine currently enrolls 11,571 undergraduate and graduate students, and UMaine Machias enrolls 763 undergraduates. Our students have opportunities to participate in groundbreaking research with world-class scholars. UMaine offers 77 bachelor's degrees and six undergraduate certificates, as well as more than 100 degree programs through which students can earn doctoral or master's degrees, professional master's degrees, and graduate certificates. UMaine Machias offers 18 associate and bachelor's degrees, and 14 undergraduate certificates. The university promotes environmental stewardship, with substantial efforts campuswide to conserve energy, recycle and adhere to green building standards in new construction. For more information about UMaine and UMaine Machias, visit umaine.edu and machias.edu.