News & Events

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 Farmers for Monarchs – a Keystone Collaborative, which is facilitated by Keystone Policy Center. For more information, please contact Matt Mulica.


Pesticide Stewardship

New EPA Approaches Enhance Collaboration and Conservation Efforts for Farmers

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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 […]

Field reports

International Union for Conservation of Nature Amends 2022 Classification of Monarch Butterfly, Lowers Alarm on its Threatened Status

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  The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a membership union of government and civil society organizations headquartered in Switzerland, has amended its classification of the monarch butterfly on its “Red List” of threatened species. The organization initially categorized the monarch as “endangered” in 2022 but last month decided to downgrade its threatened […]

Endangered Species Act

Final Monarch Listing Decision Timeline Among Topics Addressed at FFM Plenary Meeting

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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 […]

Monarch Population Counts

The Livelihood of both Farmers and Monarchs Threatened by a Changing Climate

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Today is the first day of Pollinator Week, an annual celebration in support of pollinator health that was initiated and is managed by Pollinator Partnership. The theme of this year’s Pollinator Week is emphasizing the connections between climate and pollinators. Few individuals are as closely tied to the weather patterns as farmers. Farmers track temperature, […]

Endangered Species Act

Monarchs and the Endangered Species Act

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Where are the monarchs now? The monarchs are well into their northward journey and are being seen as far north as northern Nebraska, North Dakota and Minnesota. Follow their migration at Journey North. May 19 is Endangered Species Day, commemorated annually to raise awareness and promote the conservation of endangered species around the world. The […]

Monarchs

No Mow May Gaining Momentum in the United States

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Where are the monarchs now? The monarchs are well into their northern migration and can be found throughout the Midwest. Monarchs have been sighted as far north as Indiana. Follow their migration at Journey North. A campaign that started in England urging landowners to avoid mowing their lawn is steadily gaining momentum in the United […]

Field reports

Western Monarch Population Rebound Continues in 2022 but Winter Storms Could Impact Spring Breeding Population

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The western monarch population continued its growth in 2022, according to overwintering count totals recently released by the Xerces Society. The 2022 Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count tallied 335,479 monarchs, an increase from the remarkable rebound from the previous year, which came in at nearly 250,000. The annual Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count surveyed 272 overwintering sites. According to the Xerces […]

Field reports

Prescribed Fire is a Great Way to Maintain Pollinator Habitat; But Firebreak Preparation Should Begin Now

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Where are the monarchs now? Fall migration is in full swing! Eastern migratory monarchs are beginning to arrive in Mexico. Texas is a migration hotspot, and reports are picking up in the Southeast and along the Gulf Coast. Western monarch activity is also ramping up, and some monarchs have reached overwintering sites in California. Learn […]

Getting Started

Farmers for Monarchs Provides Simple Reference Document for Pesticide Best Practices

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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 […]

Endangered Species Act

Report: International Union for the Conservation of Nature Designates Monarch Butterfly as Endangered

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The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a membership union of government and civil society organizations headquartered in Switzerland, added the monarch butterfly to its “red list” of threatened species and categorized it as “endangered” — two steps from extinct, according to an article published today by the Associated Press. IUCN’s members work […]

Getting Started
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The first generation of the northern migration have reached their colonization grounds. Follow their journey at Journey North. National Pollinator Week continues to steadily grow and garner more attention ever since its first designation back in 2008. Today it is an international celebration, promoting the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats, beetles, […]

Field reports

Stewardship Practices for Planting Treated Seeds

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There are a host of stewardship practices deployed by farmers throughout the year that boost crop health and yield while also protecting monarchs and other pollinators. One of those practices that bears particular attention during planting season is the proper management of treated seeds. The Guide to Seed Treatment Stewardship provides guidelines for managing treated […]

Getting Started

Dormant Seeding: An Effective and Economical Approach to Establishing Pollinator Habitat

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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 […]

Monarchs

Maintaining Pollinator Habitat is Just as Important as Planting It

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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 […]

Monarch Population Counts

Research points to a changing climate, extreme weather events as contributing factors in monarch population decline

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In a recent article, scientists, many from Michigan State, established how monarch populations respond to temperature and moisture. The findings indicated that changes in the climate, particularly increasing temperatures, were likely to reduce monarch numbers (SciTechDaily). Clearly, we can add climate change as well as habitat loss to our concerns about the future of the […]

Getting Started

Responsible Stewardship Begins at Planting

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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 […]

Field reports

Take it from a Farmer, Anyone Can Plant Pollinator Habitat

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The membership of the Monarch Collaborative includes organizations representing farmers, ranchers, and land owners; businesses working along the agricultural supply chain; researchers and academic institutions; federal and state entities; and conservation organizations. Wayne Fredericks is one such member. He is a corn and soybean farmer from Osage, Iowa who has served on the Iowa Soybean […]

Field reports

Alarming Western Monarch Population Count Calls for Magnified, Comprehensive Effort to Plant Pollinator Forage

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Fewer than 2,000 monarch butterflies were counted in California’s overwintering sites this year, a dire indication for the viability of the western migration. The annual Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count surveyed 246 sites with only 1,914 total monarchs counted. Western monarch populations saw previous all-time low counts in 2018 and 2019, with only 30,000 monarchs those […]

CRP/Cost Sharing Programs

Conservation Reserve Program Increases Incentive Payments in 2021

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*UPDATE: The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Feb. 5 that enrollment in the is extending the Conservation Reserve Program General Signup period and will continue to accept offers as it takes this opportunity for the incoming Administration to evaluate ways to increase enrollment. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced in December that it is increasing […]

Field reports

Creating Pollinator Habitat on Non-cropland

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Whether 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 […]

Getting Started

More than Milkweed: How Farmers Can Promote Native Wildflowers for All Pollinators

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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 […]

Monarchs

Responsible Pesticide Use Protects Crops, Pollinators and Applicators

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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. […]

Monarchs

Steer Clear of Milkweed, Monarch Friendly Mowing

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Among 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 […]

Endangered Species Act

Don’t let Milkweed Myths keep you from Supporting Monarch Habitat

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Populations 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 […]

Endangered Species Act

Data Collection Critical in Monarch Listing Decision, Supporting Habitat

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While 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, […]

CRP/Cost Sharing Programs

Conservation Reserve Program Provides Unique Opportunity for Farmers Supporting Pollinator Habitat

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The 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 […]

Field reports

HabiTally App Offers New, Interactive Opportunity to Assist Monarch Recovery

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Monarch butterflies face many challenges that have contributed to a significant decline in their population over the last two decades. More breeding habitat and food resources, including milkweed and nectar sources, across the migration route will help monarch populations recover. HabiTally is a new app hosted by Iowa State University (ISU) that enables farmers, ranchers, […]

Monarchs

Webinars Aim to Support Agricultural Landowners and Managers

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The Monarch Joint Venture has partnered with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to host a series of webinars on monarch biology, monitoring, and conservation. The most recent webinar was entitled the Trials and Triumphs of Establishing Pollinator Habitat, and featured the real-world experiences of farmers establishing habitat adjacent to their working land. Presenters of […]

Field reports

Pork producers collaborate with Iowa researchers to benefit monarchs

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Ben Crawford, environmental services director for Prestage Farms of Iowa, is featured in a new video (linked below) about Iowa pork producers’ cooperation with researchers to plant and survey monarch habitat plots on their land. Hog farmers are collaborating with Iowa State University to provide more habitat for monarch butterflies through on-farm research projects. Since […]