{"id":8492,"date":"2017-09-07T13:32:18","date_gmt":"2017-09-07T17:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/?p=8492"},"modified":"2025-06-10T17:01:48","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T21:01:48","slug":"once-a-pesky-plant-for-farmers-this-weed-presents-a-new-opportunity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/2017\/09\/07\/once-a-pesky-plant-for-farmers-this-weed-presents-a-new-opportunity\/","title":{"rendered":"Once a pesky plant for farmers, this weed presents a new opportunity"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Although milkweed contains toxins, it rarely poses any significant threat to people or animals. Grazing livestock generally avoid milkweeds when sufficient forage is available. (Photo credit: E. Dronkert<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A recent article<\/a>\u00a0called milkweed a \u201cyield-robbing weed\u201d for farmers.<\/p>\n

Milkweed has a reputation for encroaching on cropland where it can compete with crops for soil and light. The plant can also create a nuisance on ranchlands, as cattle can be poisoned when poor foraging conditions lead hungry cows to milkweed-concentrated areas as a last resort.<\/p>\n

This is why milkweed is difficult to find on most farms and ranches today. Along with climate change, it\u2019s also a key reason why the beloved monarch butterfly population has declined by more than 90 percent in the last two decades.<\/p>\n

The importance of milkweed<\/strong><\/p>\n

Milkweed is essential for monarchs, since butterflies need the plant to lay their eggs, and caterpillars exclusively feed on the milky sap-filled plant. It\u2019s what makes monarchs poisonous to predators.<\/p>\n

Increased herbicide application across the agricultural landscape, as well as mowing in roadside ditches and marginal areas, is eradicating milkweed from rural areas in the Corn Belt and other key regions of the monarch\u2019s migration route.<\/p>\n

In order to turn things around for the monarch, we need to change the incentive for landowners from spraying and mowing to protecting and restoring this vital habitat.<\/p>\n

[Tweet “How two farmers are saving monarch butterflies by making room for milkweedhttps:\/\/edf.org\/8DG”]<\/p>\n

The opportunity for farmers and ranchers<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Monarch Butterfly Habitat Exchange<\/a> works with private landowners to restore vital milkweed habitat across the agricultural landscape.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Analysis<\/a> from the U.S. Geological Survey found that 1.8 billion new milkweed stems are needed to recover the monarch population and reverse losses.<\/p>\n

Another recent study<\/a> found that this goal cannot be achieved unless a substantial amount of acreage on farms is restored to monarch habitat that includes a diverse mix of milkweed and other wildflowers for nectaring.<\/p>\n

Restoration efforts are being designed specifically for these working lands, targeting restoration projects for field edges, buffer zones and marginal lands that would not decrease the productivity of a farm or ranch.<\/p>\n

In fact, restoring prairie habitat can increase<\/em> productivity by improving pollination of crops, water filtration and carbon sequestration.<\/p>\n

A farmer\u2019s testimonial for planting milkweed<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kristin and Pat Duncanson of Duncanson Growers in Mapleton, Minnesota recognize the opportunity to improve pollinator habitat on their family farm.<\/p>\n