University of Maine Cooperative Extension is offering a five-week online course about wild blueberry production for beginning and established farmers starting Tuesday, Aug. 30, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. The class meets every Tuesday and Thursday for 10 sessions through Sept. 29.

Wild Blueberry Production: A Five-Week Course for Beginning Farmers is an introduction to growing wild blueberries in Maine. It covers field selection, agronomics, integrated pest management, pollinators, climate change challenges, economics and an introduction to how the industry functions. One field trip during class time is planned to observe an established blueberry field. 

The sliding scale fee is $50–$150; registration is required by Aug. 26. Register on the course webpage. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Mary Michaud, 207.581.3175 or 800.287.1421 (in Maine); mary.j.michaud@maine.edu. More information about Maine wild blueberries is available on the Extension wild blueberries website.

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 81 countries. UMaine currently enrolls 11,989 undergraduate and graduate students, and UMaine Machias enrolls 747 undergraduates. Our students have opportunities to participate in groundbreaking research with world-class scholars. UMaine offers more than 100 degree programs through which students can earn master's, doctoral or professional science master's degrees, as well as graduate certificates. UMaine Machias offers 18 degree programs. 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.