Throughout the temperate world, Mother Nature’s knack for nurturing and sustaining the life cycle of plants is incomparable. Seasonally, wildflowers and other seed-producing plants mature and spread  their seed. At that point, in places that experience winter-like conditions and natural freeze and thaw cycles, the seed works its way into the soil. The spring thaw […]

Ag lands across the U.S. have a critical opportunity to positively impact monarch butterflies and other pollinators. But we have to make every acre planted count by optimizing the returns to both farmers and pollinators. Farmers and land managers understand site prep for planting takes attention to detail. Planting pollinator habitat is no more difficult […]

Sensible and responsible stewardship by growers during planting season should involve plans to protect monarchs, pollinators, and other beneficial insects that live near crop areas. This means safe and appropriate application of herbicides and insecticides to ensure harm to these insects and their habitat is minimized.  Seed treatments, such as neonicotinoids, have been used for […]

Assessing the on-farm benefits of planting pollinator forage can be difficult to pin down. But an overall increase in profitability can be achieved by moving marginal acres to pollinator habitat. Land taken out of production reduces overall yield, but this is offset by reduced input costs and soil and water quality benefits, among others. Federal […]

Planting pollinator forage on non-farmed areas enhances the landscape, looks great and can even increase yield. Farmers and landowners have considerable capacity to increase pollinator habitat, not just milkweed for monarchs but other native wildflowers for all pollinators. That is why the Monarch Collaborative encourages farmers to engage in broad conservation practices that protect nectar […]