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.
  • The J. F. Witter Teaching and Research Center includes two research farms near the UMaine campus.
    • Witter Farm is a center for livestock research and animal science teaching.
    • Rogers Farm, part of the Witter Center, is a center for sustainable agriculture research.
  • Clapp Greenhouse and Lyle E. Littlefield Ornamentals Trial Garden are research and teaching facilities in horticulture on the UMaine campus.
  • University Forests include forestlands 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. Orono campus.
  • 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. Orono campus.
  • Food Technology – Process and product reviews. Provides process and product reviews to the small businesses of Maine since 1995. Though this program was initially created to serve the people of Maine, current recipients of this service are often from the neighboring states of Vermont and New Hampshire. Orono campus.
  • Food Technology – Consumer testing center. Specializes in the sensory evaluation of foods. Located in the Dr. Matthew Highlands Pilot Plant on the Orono campus.
  • Chemical food safety laboratory. Specializes in the development and modification of GC, HPLC and EIA methods for the analysis of a wide range of natural and man-made chemicals in both food and environmental matrices. Laboratory personnel routinely develop assays specific to client needs. Orono campus.