Late frost threatens Maine’s hard-hit wild blueberries

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 19, 2026

A late May frost settled upon the blueberry barrens at Smithereen Farm in Pembroke, pooling in the hollows overlooking Cobscook Bay and threatening buds that bloomed during the heat of the recent false spring. A similar vigil is playing out in frostbitten blueberry barrens across Maine, highlighting the vulnerability of one of the state’s signature crops to climate volatility and the growing divide between those who can and cannot afford costly defenses. The volume of Maine’s wild harvest is as volatileas the changing climate. Last year, growers had a 57.5 million pound harvest, a 36% decline. It is a uniquely Maine crisis. The state produces 99% of the nation’s wild blueberries.