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.
Research points to a changing climate, extreme weather events as contributing factors in monarch population decline
Posted onIn 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 […]
New Guide Outlines Step-by-Step Direction on Planting for Pollinators
Posted onAg 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 […]
Mitigating Pesticide Exposure to Monarchs and their Habitat
Posted onPest 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 […]
No Mow May: “Do Nothing,” Support Pollinators
Posted onThere’s a relatively new campaign catching on across the world urging home and landowners to skip their early season lawn care—at least during the month of May. The campaign is called No Mow May and it asks landowners to forego mowing their lawn during the entire month of May to let flowers in lawns bloom, […]
Responsible Stewardship Begins at Planting
Posted onSensible 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 […]
Take it from a Farmer, Anyone Can Plant Pollinator Habitat
Posted onThe 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 […]
“All hands on deck” in Face of Eastern Monarch Declines
Posted onIn a recent report from the World Wildlife Fund Mexico, scientists noted a 26% decrease in monarch butterfly overwintering population numbers in southern overwintering sites. It is estimated that 6 hectares of hibernating monarchs are required to maintain a sustainable eastern monarch population. This report revealed that monarchs occupied only 2.10 hectares, compared to […]
Alarming Western Monarch Population Count Calls for Magnified, Comprehensive Effort to Plant Pollinator Forage
Posted onFewer 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 […]
Conservation Reserve Program Increases Incentive Payments in 2021
Posted on*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 […]
USFWS: ESA Listing of Monarch Butterfly Warranted but Precluded
Posted onThe Keystone Monarch Collaborative noted today’s decision from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) that adding the monarch butterfly to the list of threatened and endangered species is warranted but precluded by work on higher-priority listing actions. This means USFWS has added the monarch butterfly to the candidate list and assigned it a listing […]