At Farmers for Monarchs, we know that the best conservation stories come straight from the source—you. Whether you’ve enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), planted monarch and pollinator habitat, or found other creative ways to balance conservation and production, your experience can inspire and inform others across the country. We’re looking for farmers who […]
The latest annual survey of the eastern monarch butterfly population reveals a significant and hopeful increase, according to World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-Mexico and Mexico’s National Commission of Protected Natural Areas, who conducted the survey. During the 2024-2025 winter season, monarchs occupied 4.42 acres of forest in central Mexico, nearly doubling from the previous winter’s 2.22 […]
New EPA Approaches Enhance Collaboration and Conservation Efforts for Farmers The approaches follow settlement of litigation challenging the agency’s compliance with the Endangered Species Act The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently unveiled additional steps to ensure the protection of endangered species from pesticide exposure while at the same time supporting the agricultural community. In […]
Where are the monarchs now? The monarch migration is now moving through Iowa and has entered northern Kansas. By the week of September 25th they should reach central Oklahoma. The first monarchs usually reach the border with Mexico in the first week of October. Follow their migration at Journey North. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s […]
Where are the monarchs now? The southern migration is well under way, advancing at a pace such that the first monarchs will likely arrive at the overwintering sites in Mexico in time for the Day of the Dead (November 2). The number and sizes of overnight roosts reported to Journey North across the eastern US […]
Farmers have successfully implemented sensible monarch conservation principles that also support productive agriculture and livestock operations. Pest management is an important part of those viable operations, which is why Farmers for Monarchs has written extensively about responsible pesticide use and shared steps producers can take to mitigate pesticide exposure for pollinators. We have now produced […]
Farmers for Monarchs has detailed several resources for farmers and landowners looking to establish and maintain monarch and pollinator habitat on their lands—we’ve recently highlighted a new step-by-step guide to help producers plant for pollinators. But what about those landowners who have already established pollinator habitat? How should they evaluate and maintain habitat success? Ongoing […]
Pest management is a necessary part of agriculture. Farmers have to evaluate their situation and set a pest management strategy that best serves their operations. Usings integrated pest management (IPM), farmers can manage insect pests, weeds, and diseases, and support nearby conservation efforts for the monarch butterfly and bees s IPM can be used to […]
Farmers utilize stewardship practices for proper pesticide use while protecting crops from insect pests and mites and also protecting pollinators. The BeSure! campaign from Growing Matters, an initiative created to support growers and applicators in protecting bees and other wildlife, provides numerous resources for good stewardship, including the Insect Pollinators and Pesticide Product Stewardship guide. […]
When it comes to eliminating unwanted plants on farms and in our backyard, there is no single approach. Herbicides are one tool that is very effective when used in the right place, at the right time, and in the right amount. The Keystone Monarch Collaborative outlines some practices for using herbicides to safely and effectively […]