Wild blueberry farms across Maine suffer as climate change upends growing seasons

MAINE MORNING STAR • May 27, 2026

Last summer, the wild blueberry fields at Crystal Spring Farm turned red too soon. Severe drought had gripped most of the state of Maine. At his farm in Brunswick, Seth Kroeck knew the leaves were changing color prematurely because the blueberry plants were stressed. Berries shriveled before they could ripen. The farm’s 2025 harvest was almost a total loss. “In the last seven years, we’ve lost the crop three times, almost completely,” he said. As the climate changes, these losses are getting more common for wild blueberry farmers. And, experts say, the solutions are pricey. From buying equipment to drilling wells to trucking in loads of mulch, major one-time investments are difficult for small farms with thin profit margins.