Iowa is right along the route which many monarch butterflies use on their migrations. Monarchs have become a major topic in the discussion of American agriculture. Producers are having to look at ways of finding the balance of eliminating pests in their fields and protecting the insects we need.
Iowa Pork Producers Association President Trent Thiele says the organization is helping to support the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium and working with researchers from Iowa State University to improve the environment for these pollinators.
The loss of milkweeds and other flowering plants has led to the planting of monarch habitats. We have seen these habitats springing up in areas which would otherwise be waste ground or even just lawn. We have seen them by ethanol plants, near groves, even in farm flower beds. Thiele says hog producers are doing their part to help by establishing monarch habitats in the grassy areas around hog barns.
Helping restore habitat for monarchs is not only a responsible thing for producers to do, but it also fits in well with the ?We Care? initiative of the National Pork Producers Council. It is a chance to give back to nature and our fellow man.
