The conversation about how private working lands can help monarchs and pollinators is ongoing and lively. Check here often, as Farmers for Monarchs aims to be a perennial resource for farmers and landowners interested in planting and enhancing monarch habitat.
Please note that not all posts are authored by The Monarch Collaborative (creators of Farmers for Monarchs), which is facilitated by Keystone Policy Center. For more information, please contact Franklin Holley.
Understanding Farm Benefits of Planting Pollinator Forage
Posted onFarmers can always appreciate when they find easy, low-cost solutions that garner multiple benefits. Farmers are faced with many challenges – in addition to the farm operations challenges they face, society also looks to farmers to be leaders in addressing many environmental resource concerns. As important stewards of the land, farmers can implement pollinator plantings […]
Creating Pollinator Habitat on Non-cropland
Posted onWhether you’re a farmer with an expansive operation, a homeowner looking to beautify a corner of your backyard, or someone looking to develop unused land near roadsides, creating pollinator habitat on non-cropland is a simple way to improve both pollinator and environmental health. Private and even commercial landowners across the country are taking the initiative […]
More than Milkweed: How Farmers Can Promote Native Wildflowers for All Pollinators
Posted onPlanting 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 […]
Responsible Pesticide Use Protects Crops, Pollinators and Applicators
Posted onFarmers 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. […]
On Target: Simple Herbicide Practices Help Conserve Monarch Habitat
Posted onWhen 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 […]
Steer Clear of Milkweed, Monarch Friendly Mowing
Posted onAmong the most simple and effective measures farmers and landowners can take to conserve monarch butterfly populations is to follow best practices for mowing. When establishing habitat, or conducting management activities to keep the site healthy, mowing can be an important tool. Once habitat is well-established, mowing or prescribe burning every 3-5 years promotes healthy […]
Improvements in Fluency Agents, Deflectors Help Reduce Dust from Seed Treatments
Posted onSeed treatments, such as neonicotinoids, have been used by farmers for many years to help control early season insect pests and ensure a better crop. While seed treatments provide many benefits, their use poses a potential risk to nearby pollinators and other beneficial insects because of seed dust drifting from the site of planting. The […]
Don’t let Milkweed Myths keep you from Supporting Monarch Habitat
Posted onPopulations of the monarch butterfly remain low. The population east of the Rocky Mountains, which overwinters in Mexico, fell 53 percent from the previous year’s count. Those west of the Rockies, which overwinter in California, tallied in near last year’s record low just over 29,000 individuals. Habitat loss, particularly the loss of milkweed plants, which […]
Data Collection Critical in Monarch Listing Decision, Supporting Habitat
Posted onWhile the decision of whether the monarch butterfly should be listed as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act will not occur until this upcoming December, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is currently gathering the information they need on nationwide conservation efforts to aid in their decision-making. To accomplish this, […]
Conservation Reserve Program Provides Unique Opportunity for Farmers Supporting Pollinator Habitat
Posted onThe February 28 deadline for open enrollment in the USDA Farm Service Agency Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is fast approaching in a year that will feature one of the largest program acreages ever offered to landowners in the United States. This post details specific ways farmers and landowners can enroll in certain programs that will […]