Maine’s wild blueberry harvest was better than last year’s, despite another dry summer.
Official numbers won’t be released by the Maine Revenue Service until January, but local blueberry farmers say the harvest was roughly average. Even average seems especially good after one of the worst harvests in a decade in 2025.
“We didn’t think it had any potential to be decent … But all in all, after the drought last year, it was better than we expected it was going to be,” said Simeon Allen, co-owner of Allen’s Wild Maine Blueberries in Orland.
Allen said the season got off to a good start, with “ample rain” in June, even though July and the beginning of August brought limited precipitation.
The harvest can vary depending on several factors, including regional variations in rainfall, Allen said. For example, he said their crop was much better in North Penobscot and Orland than it was on the Sedgwick Ridge. In July, Orland got just under two inches of rain, compared with only six-tenths of an inch in Sedgwick, he said.
“The farther on the coast we got, the worse it was,” Allen said.
Due to that regional variation, some of Allen’s crops in the Orland area produced more than 5,000 pounds per acre, while on the Blue Hill Peninsula, the best they had was 2,200 pounds per acre. Yields from conventional fields that fall below 3,500 pounds per acre are below average, according to Lily Calderwood, a wild blueberry specialist at the University of Maine.
Helping to make up for last year, Allen said market prices are as good as they have been in the last five or so years.
Meanwhile, over at Paulmier Farm in Sedgwick, the family had a “bumper crop” of roughly 700 pounds per acre, according to Chris Paulmier, a co-owner.
The difference in perspective lies in the scale and type of farming. The Paulmier family’s blueberry fields amount to a total of about 10 acres, compared with Allen’s 1,200. According to Greg Paulmier, a co-owner of the family farm, they don’t make any profit from their blueberries. Instead, positive cash flow helps them pay their property taxes.
Secondly, Paulmier Farm is organic. According to the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, studies have shown that organic blueberry fields typically yield less than conventional fields, but organic berries can fetch a higher price. Greg said the farm sells quarts wholesale for $8 each.
The Paulmiers also keep their inputs minimal, so their main costs are associated with the land and getting the berries to market. Family members volunteer their labor to keep costs down, whether hand-raking, winnowing or fertilizing.
Over in Penobscot, at Blue-Zee Farm, also an organic operation, farmers Mark and Renata Scarano said their average yield is 800 to 1,500 pounds of blueberries per acre, depending on the field.
The Scaranos harvested about 28 acres this year, with yields ranging from average to slightly above average.
Mark said they got a good harvest in part because they harvested the fields as early as possible. If they had waited another week to harvest, the yield might have been below average due to the lack of rain in July, which is when the berries bulk up.
“It depends on the underlying soil structure,” Mark said.
He said that sandy soils don’t produce berries with as much staying power as heavier soils.
For next year, growers are optimistic.
August is a critical time for berry development. The buds that will become berries the following year start to form in August. Allen said there was enough rain in August for the plants to “stay healthy and grow a good fruit set for next year.”
“If Mother Nature will be nice to us next late spring and early summer and summer, then I think that we could have a good crop in our area,” Allen said.