Farms & service facilities

The station maintains its offices and principal research laboratories in Orono. Additional research facilities include Aroostook Farm in Presque Isle, Highmoor Farm in Monmouth, Blueberry Hill Farm in Jonesboro, J. F. Witter Teaching and Research Center in Old Town, the Lyle E. Littlefield Ornamentals Trial Garden and the Roger Clapp Greenhouses in Orono, and the Dwight B. Demeritt Forest in Old Town and Orono. The off-campus facilities of the Experiment Station provide an essential platform for applied field research that is integrated with research at campus laboratories.

Farms, forests, gardens, and greenhouses

• Aroostook Farm in Presque Isle is the center for agricultural research and development for Maine’s potato industry.
• Blueberry Hill Farm in Jonesboro is the center for agricultural research and development for Maine’s wild blueberry industry.
• Highmoor Farm in Monmouth provides research and development programs for Maine’s fruit and vegetable growers.
• J. F. Witter Teaching and Research Center in Old town hosts large animal research and animal science teaching.
• Rogers Farm is a center for sustainable agriculture research.
• Roger Clapp Greenhouse and Lyle E. Littlefield Ornamental Trial Garden are research and teaching facilities in horticulture on the UMaine campus.
• University Forests include forest lands owned by the University of Maine and the University of Maine Foundation, which includes 51 properties accounting for approximately 14,436 acres throughout the state.

Research laboratories and facilities

• Analytical Laboratory and Maine soil testing service – Provides analytical services to the public and research staff including analyses of soil, compost, manure, wood ash, fertilizers, organic residuals and other materials for nutrient content, organic matter, lead and other trace elements.
• Dr. Matthew Highlands Pilot Plant – A state of the art facility committed to helping food processors, entrepreneurs, farmers, researchers and students in the food industry. Our equipment and services offer a variety of options for anyone seeking to expand product lines, create value added foods, solve issues in current food products, and scale up recipes for commercial production. To request use of this facility please fill out this form.
• Spruce Budworm Laboratory – Processes branches from sites that are suspected to contain spruce budworm (SBW). Through a laboratory process we can determine the number of SBW larvae (L2s) per site to inform landowners and organizations about the level of risk to their spruce-fir forests. This information can then be used to make management decisions that could lessen the ecological and economic impacts of this forest pest.

Outside partner research facilities

Hunter Farm – Located in Unity is a privately owned farm that hosts a number of agricultural research projects related to PFAS mitigation, uptake, and remediation.

Howland Forest – Located in Howland, the forest houses an Eddy Covariance Flux Tower that continuously measure gas exchange between the forest floor and the atmosphere. The property is owned by the Northeast Wilderness Trust. MAFES faculty and students have conducted forest ecology research for nearly 40 years in partnership with the Trust, Woodwell Climate Research Center, and other universities.