WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services (USFWS) recently proposed adding the monarch butterfly as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) with section 4(d) flexibilities, and will be accepting public comments on the proposal until March 12, 2025.

According to the USFWS, section 4(d) of the ESA gives the U.S. Secretary of the Interior the authority to issue regulations to protect threatened species, and allows for more flexibility in how the ESA is enforced.

Agriculture-related organizations such as the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the American Soybean Association (ASA) said farmers and producers already do quite a bit to protect the butterfly.

The NCBA and the Public Lands Council (PLC) have called on the USFWS to partner with U.S. livestock producers throughout the process, “recognizing their work managing the landscape,” the groups said in a Dec. 11, 2024, statement.

“As stewards of the land, ranchers work tirelessly to implement sustainable management practices to ensure the longevity of the lands they utilize,” said Garrett Edmonds, director of government affairs for the NCBA and PLC. “Recent studies have shown that grazing and animal agriculture in general, builds robust habitat, increases insect populations, and manages invasive species on America’s pastureland.

“The USFWS management plan must recognize the voluntary conservation work that ranchers do every day to care for America’s vast natural resources providing the regulatory certainty necessary for ranchers to manage their operations,” he added.

Zippy Duvall, American Farm Bureau Federation president, said in a Dec. 10 statement, “Preserving natural surroundings for America’s wildlife has long been a priority for farmers and ranchers. That dedication extends to the monarch butterfly.

“The use of a 4(d) rule acknowledges the work farmers are undertaking to protect the monarch, while recognizing the need for flexibility in conservation efforts between diverse regions and crops,” he added. “This opens the door for an important dialogue about farmers as caretakers and cultivators of the land.”

The ASA, in a Dec. 10, 2024, statement, called on the USFWS to “hold a transparent process based in science to engage the public and gather feedback.”

Brandon Wipf, ASA board member, Huron, S.D., soybean grower, and ASA’s liaison with Farmers for Monarchs, said, “Most U.S. farms have used various sustainability methods for years, and have continued to add additional conservation efforts along the way. For example, many farmers maintain land plots for wildlife food and habitat, including pollinators.

“And data shows more growers than ever are using practices that promote soil and water health such as reductions in tillage and cover crops. Farmers need to continue doing what they have been doing: being good, proactive stewards of our natural resources, including maintaining conservation practices that help protect monarch butterflies.”

However, Sid Miller, Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner, said in a Dec. 12, 2024, statement, “the designation (of monarch butterflies listed in the ESA as endangered) would ‘slap widespread restrictions on anything that might ‘disturb’ monarch habitat, making it nearly impossible to build or expand in rural areas.’”

Kyle Kunkler, ASA director of government affairs, told Farm World, “The 4(d) process allows the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to accept from regulation activities that may impact a monarch, but are unlikely to jeopardize its population or adversely modify its critical habitat. These exceptions can minimize disruptions to the public or economic activities.

“In fact, that is exactly what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did with the monarch, proposing to accept many common agricultural practices, including mowing, haying, grazing, plowing, prescribed burns, among others,” he added. “The proposal would even allow for the removal of milkweed at times of the year when monarchs are not present.”

Martha Williams, USFWS director, said in a Dec. 10, 2024, statement, “Despite its fragility, (the monarch butterfly) is remarkably resilient, like many things in nature when we just give them a chance. Science shows that the monarch needs that chance, and this proposed listing invites and builds on unprecedented public participation in shaping monarch conservation efforts.”

In North America, monarchs are grouped into two long-distance migratory populations, according to the USFWS. The eastern migratory population is the largest and overwinters in the mountains of central Mexico. The western migratory population primarily overwinters in coastal California.

In the 1980s, over 4.5 million western monarchs flocked to overwintering grounds in coastal California, the USFWS said. In the mid-1990s, an estimated 380 million eastern monarchs made the long-distance journey to overwintering grounds in Mexico, completing one of the longest insect migrations in the world.

Today, the USFWS added, the eastern migratory population is estimated to have declined by approximately 80 percent. The western migratory population has declined by more than 95 percent since the 1980s, putting the western populations at greater than 99 percent chance of extinction by 2080. During this same period, the probability of extinction for eastern monarchs ranges from 56 to 74 percent, according to the USFWS’ most recent species status assessment.

Matt Mulica, Keystone Policy Center senior project director and Farmers for Monarchs lead facilitator, said in a Dec. 10, 2024, statement, “By fostering monarch habitat development, supporting pesticide stewardship and Integrated Pest Management, and preserving existing milkweed and other native plants, we can help this species recover.

“Farmers for Monarchs will work to ensure that farmers have a meaningful voice in the ESA process to ensure that any final decision is implemented efficiently and effectively,” he added.

Kunkler said, “While pesticide use is a tricky issue we need to continue to consider in the proposal, it is clear the USFWS is asking thoughtful questions and wants to get this right. All things considered, we are cautiously optimistic we can work with the USFWS to thread the needle on the monarch proposal.”

Kenneth Hartman Jr., NCBA president, and Waterloo, Ill., farmer, said in a Dec. 10, 2024, statement, “As corn growers, we look forward to providing input on how we can protect monarch butterflies without disrupting critical agricultural activities that help fuel and feed the world.”