The Mills Administration announced that Diane Rowland, dean of the University of Maine College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture, and Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station, is one of 15 individuals who will serve as members of the PFAS Fund Advisory Committee. The PFAS Fund Advisory Committee was assembled following the representation requirements described […]
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New England’s droughts in 2016, 2020 and 2022 offer a preview of farming amid a changing climate. This has caused farmers who rely on rainfall to seek more reliable water sources. Rachel Schattman, assistant professor of sustainable agriculture at the University of Maine, is leading the study of a novel shallow well design that is […]
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A natural control for an invasive fly that has plagued soft-fruit crops like Maine’s wild blueberries is being tested by scientists at the University of Maine. Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) infest healthy, ripening fruit with their eggs and larvae, impacting their marketability. Without control measures, the flies can destroy nearly 80% of late-season berry crops. […]
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University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the University of Maine College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture are hosting a Potato Field Day from 11 a.m.–6:30 p.m. on Aug. 17 at the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station Aroostook Research Farm, 59 Houlton Road, Presque Isle. Presentation topics include potato breeding and variety trials, integrated […]
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Wild blueberries, an icon of Down East landscapes, will soon take root at the University of Maine’s new Wyman’s Wild Blueberry Research and Innovation Center. The three-acre research and education site will be established off University Farm Road in Old Town over the coming year through a gift from Wyman’s, a 148-year-old family-owned business based […]
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Wyman’s Wild Blueberry Research and Innovation Center will celebrate its launch in Old Town off University Farm Road on Thursday, June 30, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. The launch event celebrates a new, 3-acre wild blueberry research and education site at the J. Franklin Witter Teaching & Research Center near the University of Maine campus. It will […]
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WFVX (Fox22/Channel 7 in Bangor) reported on a Grassland Bird Walk at the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station’s Witter Farm Park Street Fields on June 17. The event also was promoted by the Portland Press Herald. The free field workshop was led by Amber Roth, assistant professor of forest wildlife management at the University […]
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The Bangor Daily News and CentralMaine.com shared information about a guided walk through bobolink habitat at Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station’s Witter Farm Park Street Fields on Friday, June 17 from 9–11 a.m. Amber Roth, assistant professor of forest wildlife management at the University of Maine; Livia Raulinaitis, Maine pollinator and beneficial insect conservation planner […]
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Grab your binoculars and take a guided walk through bobolink habitat at Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station’s Witter Farm Park Street Fields on Friday, June 17, from 9–11 a.m. Amber Roth, assistant professor of forest wildlife management at the University of Maine; Livia Raulinaitis, Maine pollinator and beneficial insect conservation planner at the Xerces […]
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Properly storing hay is a logistical challenge for farmers. Hay that is baled and stored too moist — at moisture levels above 15–20% — can lead to the growth of molds that reduce bale weight and nutritive value, and impact animal health. Improper hay storage can even cause so much microbial activity that the bales […]
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