The BASF Living Acres Monarch Challenge shipped 20,000 milkweed seedlings to farmers and golf courses across the Midwest in 2019, as part of the company’s biodiversity program.
Milkweed is the essential plant for the monarch butterfly life cycle and the sole food source for the monarch caterpillar. It has become less common over the years, which is why the BASF encourages planting milkweed in non-crop areas of farm land and out-of-play areas of golf courses to encourage biodiversity.
According to a BASF press release, the program began nearly four years ago and has seen increasing support from across the agriculture and golf course industries.
“Last year, we visited a number of events across the U.S. and learned firsthand how many farmers’ perceptions of milkweed have shifted,” said Chip Shilling, BASF Sustainability Strategy Manager, Agricultural Products, North America, in the company release. “Milkweed has been known as a problem weed for generations, but throughout the last few years, farmers are beginning to understand milkweed can thrive in non-productive areas of farmland.”
According to the press release, the challenge garnered more than 2,500 farmers, farm families and others interested in monarch conservation, and led to partnerships with more than 56 golf courses.
“Every critter is a beneficial critter, is the way I see it,” said Andy Herring, a North Carolina farmer who has participated in the Monarch Challenge for several years, in the BASF release. “I think what we’ve been doing with milkweed is going to help in some way.”
Terry Hills Golf Course, located in upstate New York, took the Monarch Challenge two years ago, and since then the milkweed has flourished. “It has especially flourished within our community,” said Thad Thompson, Superintendent at Terry Hills, in the release. “People will stop in to look at the habitat. They’re excited to see a golf course giving back to their community by doing something positive for the environment.”
Since taking flight, over 6,500 participants have signed up for the Monarch Challenge, and 65,500 milkweed plants have been established on farmlands and golf courses from Rhode Island to Idaho.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been tasked with determining whether the monarch butterfly warrants Endangered Species Act protection. The deadline for that decision is December 15, 2020, so BASF hopes that the Monarch Challenge continues to spread as many milkweed seedlings as possible throughout the country next year.
“No matter the decision, we will continue to educate and grow our program in aiding monarch butterflies and other pollinators,” said Shilling, in the company release. “All the measures we take are to ensure we are helping farmers and golf courses leave a sustainable operation for future generations.”
To learn more about Living Acres and the Monarch Challenge, visit MonarchChallenge.com. Follow #MonarchChallenge on Social Media to see what participants achieved.
