The Associated Press spoke with David Yarborough, a blueberry specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and professor in the School of Food and Agriculture, for an article about how machines are taking the place of migrant workers in Maine’s blueberry industry. A push toward mechanization is reducing the number of migrant farmers who […]
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The Associated Press reported University of Maine researchers are working on a two-year project to increase the state’s crop of locally grown plums. The project — funded by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry — is identifying suitable plum varieties for Maine’s climate that would help diversify the state’s apple farms. The project […]
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The University of Maine Cooperative Extension will host a Pollinator Field Day to celebrate the often overlooked local heroes that make Maine’s unique landscape grow, as well as the native plants they rely on. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, those interested in promoting bee-friendly gardens and learning more about how native […]
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The Bangor Daily News reported on the official launch of STEM Guides Downeast, a new program based in Machias that aims to immerse at least 600 10- to 18-year-olds in innovative, out-of-school science and math opportunities. The three-year project is a collaborative effort among the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance (MMSA), Axiom Education and Training […]
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Fosters.com published a University of Maine news release about researchers who are working to bring locally grown plums to farm stands around the state. The two-year project — funded by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry — is identifying suitable plum varieties for Maine’s climate that would help diversify the state’s apple farms. […]
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WABI (Channel 5) reported Penny Stevens of Knox was named the 2015 Woman Farmer of the Year by the Waldo County Extension Association at its annual meeting in Unity. Stevens and her husband Jeff own Windgate Farm, and they’ve been dairy farmers for nearly 30 years, according to the report. “She has done a great […]
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David Yarborough, a blueberry specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and professor in the School of Food and Agriculture, was quoted in the Portland Press Herald article, “Hard-to-find lingonberries find a place on one Down East farm.” According to the article, Lamb Cove Farm in Robbinston, which farms wild blueberries on five organic […]
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John Rebar, executive director of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, was quoted in reports by the Portland Press Herald and WVII (Channel 7) on the University of Maine System announcing its pledge to offer 20 percent local food by 2020. “Maine agriculture is passing the test,” Rebar told the Press Herald of being able […]
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The Ellsworth American reported the University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener Volunteer Program will offer a free workshop with Woodlawn Museum on Sept. 19. “Native Pollinators: Habitats In Your Garden,” will run from 10 a.m. to noon at the museum in Ellsworth. Alison Dibble, a research professor in pollination ecology at UMaine, will present […]
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John Rebar, executive director of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, spoke with Deseret News for the article, “A younger generation of farmers gets in the dirt.” The article states the number of Americans younger than 35 pursuing farming as their primary occupation increased 10 percent to roughly 55,000 between 2007 and 2012, according to […]
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