Every year, Pollinator Week brings together growers, conservationists, gardeners, and advocates from across North America to raise awareness for the bees, butterflies, and other pollinators that our food system depends on. This year’s theme, “Life on a Leaf: Celebrating Caterpillars and Host Plants,” is a reminder that healthy habitat and the plants that support it are the foundation of pollinator conservation.
Here at Farmers for Monarchs, we know that some of the most powerful voices for pollinators belong to the farmers doing the work every single day — in the field margins, on the gravelly knolls, and along the fence rows where habitat quietly thrives.
This spring, we had the privilege of connecting with farmers at Commodity Classic who are doing exactly that. We sat down with growers from across the country to hear about their experiences planting and managing pollinator habitat — what motivated them, what they’ve learned, and what they want other farmers to know. The conversations were honest, practical, and inspiring.
We turned those interviews into four short videos that we’re excited to share this Pollinator Week. Whether you’re a seasoned habitat manager or just getting started, we think you’ll find something in these stories that resonates.
Farmers for Monarchs at Commodity Classic
This video brings together voices from several farmers who have made pollinator habitat a meaningful part of their operation. You’ll hear about everything from NRCS partnerships and CRP seedings to mowing changes along farm ditches that have led to milkweed, wildflowers, and monarch caterpillars showing up where they never had before.
One farmer summed it up well: putting habitat on land that “really was not productive” is a way to make that ground better for the soil, for the farm, and for the environment. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. A few patches spread across different farm locations, a few acres on a wet spot here, a gravelly knoll there – it all adds up.
Pesticide Stewardship
Protecting pollinators isn’t just about planting habitat, it’s also about how and when we apply the inputs that keep our crops healthy. This video features farmers talking about their approach to pesticide stewardship and how they think about the valuable pollinators sharing their fields.
Site Preparation and Maintenance for Pollinator Habitat
Getting habitat established is one thing. Keeping it thriving is another. In this video, farmers share practical advice on site preparation and ongoing maintenance, from working according to USDA guidelines to making smart decisions about what to mow, when, and why. Hear how some operations have shifted from routine mowing to strategic haying, and what a difference that change can make.
Why I Plant Pollinator Habitat
Farmers share why they decided to start paying more attention to pollinators and what’s kept them going. From raising monarch caterpillars in a netted enclosure to watching wildflowers reclaim a ditch that used to get mowed down every summer, these stories are a good reminder that the “why” behind habitat work is often deeply tied to a sense of stewardship and hope.
Get Involved This Pollinator Week
Pollinator Week runs June 22–28, 2026, and there are plenty of ways to participate:
- Register an event on the official Pollinator Week map — from farm walks to planting days to virtual webinars, any activity counts.
- Download and share the official Pollinator Week logo on your social channels.
- Join the Pollinator Week BioBlitz on iNaturalist to help document pollinators and floral resources in your area.
- Request a lighting — ask local buildings to light up yellow and orange in support of pollinators.
- Sign a proclamation to your governor in support of pollinator health.
Small Actions, Big Impact
The farmers in these videos aren’t necessarily running large-scale conservation operations. They’re making thoughtful decisions such as leaving a ditch unmowed, seeding a wet spot that wasn’t worth farming anyway, or following up with their local NRCS office. The results speak for themselves: milkweed coming back, monarchs flying, beneficial pollinators doing their work.
If you’re a farmer curious about what pollinator habitat could look like on your operation, we’d love to connect. And if you’re already doing this work, thank you — this week is for you.
Happy Pollinator Week from the Farmers for Monarchs team!