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 Matt Mulica.
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 […]
Monarch Collaborative Member Activities
Posted onThe strength of the Monarch Collaborative comes not only with the initiatives we undertake together, but the collective of all of our members’ own monarch and pollinator initiatives. We’d like to take a moment to share some of the great monarch and pollinator work occurring from our members. American Soybean Association (ASA) ASA continues to […]
Upcoming Webinar: How Monarch Habitat Maximizes Benefit to Landowner
Posted onAssessing 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 […]
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 […]