Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing The Influence Of Interseeded Cover Crops On Beneficial Arthropod Abundance In A Northeastern Agroecosystem, Charles Cooper

Honors College

Conservation agriculture approaches are gaining traction as the planet’s food system grapples with climate change, oil depletion, and rampant environmental degradation (Palm et al., 2014). Cover cropping is an integral practice of conservation agriculture. Ground dwelling arthropods play an important role in agroecosystems, providing ecosystem services including seed predation and nutrient cycling. Because the relationship between cover crops and arthropod abundance are likely influenced by management conditions, I investigated arthropod abundance in a field interseeded with cover crops on a research farm in Maine, United States. Interseeding is an emerging practice in the northeastern United States, with potential to address …

Exploring Nitrogen Applications In The Crop Year Of Wild Blueberry Production, Abby Cadorette

Honors College

Maine is home to one of the largest commercially grown crops in the Northeast: lowbush (wild) blueberry. This native crop is managed by 485 landowners, with parcels ranging in sizes as small as 20 acres to as large as thousands of acres throughout the state (Calderwood et. al, 2020). Although the plants may be considered “wild”, growers still need to apply fertilizers to maintain a consistent yield and quality crop for their income (Calderwood et. al, 2023). There have been many more fertility studies conducted on highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) compared to lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium). Due to the differences …

Maine Hunger Dialogue And Climate Action Summit Safeguarding Food Systems From A Warming Planet, University Of Maine Cooperative Extension

General University of Maine Publications

Promotional flyer for the Maine Hunger Dialogue and Climate Action Summit. "Join students, faculty, and staff from colleges, community colleges, and high schools across the state for this one-day conference. Participants will have an opportunity to network, discuss food security, and climate change, and find solutions to combat these issues within our own communities."

S7e7: How Can Business Savvy Help Maine Farmers Succeed?, Ron Lisnet, Erin Percival Carter

The Maine Question

Like opening any business, starting and operating a farm can be challenging without any in-depth entrepreneurial knowledge or skills. To help strengthen support for farmers’ business skills, University of Maine faculty members Erin Percival Carter and Stephanie Welcomer established the Business, Agriculture, and Rural Development (BARD) technical assistance training program in the Maine Business School.

The BARD program trains UMaine students to serve as consultants for farmers and operators of other small-scale and sustainable agricultural businesses. These students can assist agribusinesses with various aspects of commerce, such as data-management, price-setting, marketing, financial and strategic forecasting, market segmentation, product development, market …

Implementing Landscape Design Principles To Improve Green Spaces And Promote Ecotherapy On A College Campus, Jessica Hutchinson

Honors College

As students in Maine are subject to harsh winters and a disconnectedness due to the pandemic, the creation of an ecotherapy focused garden may benefit the community at the University of Maine. Mental health is a rising concern within the United States, where anxiety has been the most frequent in students at 62.7% from a survey conducted by the Center for Collegiate Mental Health (Son et al., 2020). Ecotherapy is the practice of holistic psychology where healing is derived from interactions with the surrounding ecosystem (Summers and Vivian, 2018). Through literature review and gardening, this creative project provides a green …

S6e5: Who Doesn’T Love Maine Maple Syrup?, Ron Lisnet, Jason Lilley

The Maine Question

Maple syrup is a staple product in Maine, and many rejoice when the sugaring season returns each year. At the end of winter when the temperatures are just right, producers harvest gallons of sap to transform into sweet syrup inside their sugar shacks.

In this episode of “The Maine Question” podcast, Jason Lilley, a sustainable agriculture professional with University of Maine Cooperative Extension, describes how the producers make maple syrup from sap. He also discusses the future of the maple industry in Maine and shares a few tips and recipes.

January Highlights From The College Of Natural Sciences, Forestry, And Agriculture, College Of Natural Sciences, Forestry, And Agriculture

General University of Maine Publications

Weekly update from the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture. Stories include Dean Diane Rowland's tour of the Dwight B. Demeritt Forest in Old Town; the receipt of a $225,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to establish a Farm to School Institute; Brian Olsen, professor ornithology, being interviewed about the January 2022 sighting of a Stellar's sea eagle in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Black Soldier Fly Larvae Pathogen Suppression And Growth Substrate In Relation To Maine Agricultural Industries, Haley Morrill

Honors College

Insects are promoted as cost-effective and sustainable protein sources for animal feed. Their utilization may help to avoid a predicted global protein shortage. Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae (BSFL) grow on organic wastes, converting these wastes into larval biomass which can fulfill this purpose. Potential benefits of using BSFL to remediate organic wastes include reduction of waste mass and bacterial load, along with the sale of larvae as a protein supplement. BSFL suppress the growth of some Gram-positive and Gram-negative human pathogens in these substrates; though suppression of Bacillus cereus, a spore-forming bacterium that causes food-poisoning, …

S4e10: Are You Ready To Garden?, Ron Lisnet, Charlene Spindler Gray, Katherine Garland

The Maine Question

Springtime in Maine can mean turning on the heat in the morning and the air conditioner in the afternoon. Spring also is when people flock to vegetable gardens, patios, flower beds and orchards.

Gardening, which has been particularly popular during the pandemic, has a number of benefits — from reducing stress to increasing property values. In this semester’s final episode of “The Maine Question,” Charlene Gray, University of Maine lecturer in landscape in design, and Kate Garland, University of Maine Cooperative Extension horticulture professional, talk with host Ron Lisnet about all things gardening, including promoting bee populations.

Cooperative Extension Covid-19_Maine Maple Tours: Guidance During Covid-19, University Of Maine Cooperative Extension

Cooperative Extension

Screenshot of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension's Bulletin #2517 with guidance for Maine Maple Tours during COVID-19.

Scallop Aquaculture Research Collaborative Meeting, Meggan Dwyer

Miscellaneous Publications

No abstract provided.

Covid-19_School Of Economics_Malacarne And Colleagues Address The Impacts Of Covid- 19 On Maine's Food System, University Of Maine School Of Economics

Teaching, Learning & Research Documents

Screenshot of a University of Maine School of Economics news release webpage regarding Jonathan Malacarne (SOE Assistant Professor), Jason Lilley (University of Maine Cooperative Extension Professional), and Tora Jackson (Maine Farmer Resource Network) presenting a summary of the impacts of COVID-19 on Maine's food system at the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry's (DACF) 2021 virtual Maine Ag Trades Show.

Mitchell Center_Safety Nets And Boostraps Talk Webpage, University Of Maine Senator George J. Mitchell Center For Sustainability Solutions

Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions

Screenshot of webpage regarding a talk from the University of Maine Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions titled "Safety nets and bootstraps: Mainers and food security in the time of COVID-19".

S3e2: What Does The Future Look Like For Maine’S Wild Blueberries?, Ron Lisnet, Lily Calderwood

The Maine Question

Along with lobsters and lighthouses, wild blueberries are an iconic product from the state of Maine. While the industry has struggled of late, promising developments exist for wild blueberries and the people who grow and make products out of them. UMaine's wild blueberry expert Lily Calderwood shares her thoughts on the work being done at the university to grow the industry and what the past, present and future holds for this delicious, native crop.

Covid-19_Umaine News_Press Herald Talks With Savoie About Increased Interest In Canning, University Of Maine Division Of Marketing And Communications

Division of Marketing & Communications

Screenshot of UMaine in the News regarding the Portland Press Herald speaking with Kathleen Savoie, University of Maine Cooperative Extension educator, about attendance at UMaine Extension webinars focused on food preservation and the burgeoning demand for canning support and supplies.

Covid-19_Umaine News_Bdn Interviews Coffin About Contact Tracing For Livestock, University Of Maine Division Of Marketing And Communications

Division of Marketing & Communications

Screenshot of UMaine in the News regarding Donna Coffin, a University of Maine Cooperative Extension professor, being interviewed for a Bangor Daily News story about contact tracing for livestock

Covid-19_Umaine News_Mccarty Highlights Supply Shortages In Maine Public Segment, University Of Maine Division Of Marketing And Communications

Division of Marketing & Communications

Screenshot of UMaine in the News regarding Kate McCarty, a University of Maine Cooperative Extension food systems professional talking with Maine Public about the increase in home canning during the pandemic, and the resulting shortage of food preservation supplies.

Covid-19_Umaine News_Umaine 4-H Centers Partner With Maine K–12 Schools To Provide Outdoor And Stem Education For Students, University Of Maine Division Of Marketing And Communications

Division of Marketing & Communications

Screenshot of Maine News release regarding the University of Maine Cooperative Extension's 4-H Learning Centers playing a pivotal role in the education plans of K-12 schools in Maine communities.

Covid-19_Umaine News_Marble Talks With Daily Bulldog About Virtual Fair, University Of Maine Division Of Marketing And Communications

Division of Marketing & Communications

Screenshot of UMaine in the News regarding Tara Marble, University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth development professional talking with Daily Bulldog about their virtual fair

Cooperative Extension Covid-19_Maine State Virtual Fair 2020, University Of Maine Cooperative Extension

Cooperative Extension

Screenshot of University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H Club's Maine State Virtual Fair 2020 webpage.

Alumni Association_Virtual Event: Summer Gardening, University Of Maine Alumni Association

Alumni Association

Email from the University of Maine Alumni Association regarding a virtual summer gardening event from Kate Garland, Cooperative Extension, University of Maine.

Tapping The Sweet Spot: Predicting The Suitability Of A Woodlot’S Potential To Transition Into A Productive Sugarbush In Maine, Deven M. Teisl

Non-Thesis Student Work

Through conversations with Dr. Sara Velardi, a postdoctoral research associate who has been doing research on maple producers’ scale management decisions in Maine, most current owners and operators in the maple syrup industry have the common interest of expanding their current operations, but they are unsure of how to approach that problem. Due to these current issues, my research focused on creating a sugarbush assessment tool. This assessment tool consists of a set of guidelines which can be utilized by current or future producers and can be used to easily assess woodlots without having to hire a consulting forester to …

What’S Going To Happen To My Pancakes? The Impacts Of Climate Change Upon Blueberries And Sugar Maple, Ashley Kayser

Honors College

The United Nations believes that the foremost challenge of the future will be climate change. Because of human use of fossil fuels, greenhouse gases have been released into the atmosphere at unsustainable rates, which have resulted in an altered climate that will impact weather patterns around the globe. There have already been measurable shifts in precipitation and temperature in many regions; in the state of Maine the general trend has been toward higher temperatures and increased precipitation. This is resulting in impacts to agriculture throughout the state. Blueberries and sugar maple are two culturally and economically valuable crops which will …

An Analysis Of The History And Current Treatment Trends Of The Parasitic Mite Varroa Destructor (Acari: Varroidae) In Maine Beekeeping, Patrick Hurley

Honors College

Varroa mites, Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae), are a parasitic mite of honey bee colonies worldwide. Varroa mites feed on both adult honey bees and developing brood, easily spread between colonies, and can kill European honey bee colonies within just a few years. Beekeepers must apply mite treatments to maintain healthy colonies. This thesis is an overview of the currently available mite treatments in the United States and how they relate to Maine Beekeeping. There are three main research components of this thesis. The first is the analysis of two surveys that Maine beekeepers completed in 2019. The second is a …

Cooperative Extension Covid-19_Services & Programs Webpages, University Of Maine Cooperative Extension

Cooperative Extension

Screenshots of various University of Maine Cooperative Extension webpages featuring announcements regarding various programs, services, and publications provide by the Cooperative Extension during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cooperative Extension Covid-19_Food Safety Information For Maine Consumers, University Of Maine Cooperative Extension

Cooperative Extension

Food Safety Information for Maine Consumers created by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

College Of Natural Sciences, Forestry, And Agriculture_Cropping Systems Course Pse 101 Lecture Slides, Rachel E. Schattman

College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture

Lecture slide deck for Cropping Systems course PSE 101, taught by Rachel E. Schattman, Assistant Professor of Sustainable Agriculture, School of Food and Agriculture Associate and Climate Change Institute, University of Maine. Also includes cover email from Professor Schattman to the Provost Office regarding the inclusion of the COVID-19 pandemic into the lecture on the Food Safety Modernization Act.

Cooperative Extension Covid-19_Master Gardener Volunteer Policy, University Of Maine Cooperative Extension

Cooperative Extension

Screenshot of various University of Maine Cooperative Extension webpages featuring the Master Gardner Volunteer Policy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cooperative Extension Covid-19_4-H Quaranteen Virtual Science Cafés Webpage, University Of Maine Cooperative Extension

Cooperative Extension

Screenshots from University of Maine Cooperative Extension webpage showing various Maine 4-H online QuaranTEEN Virtual Science Cafés programs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cooperative Extension Covid-19_Farming & Livestock Webpages, University Of Maine Cooperative Extension

Cooperative Extension

Screenshots of various University of Maine Cooperative Extension webpages featuring guidance and resources regarding farming and livestock during the COVID-19 pandemic.