News
Monarch butterfly decision looming
The director of conservation for the Illinois Corn Growers Association (ICGA) says a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision on the Endangered Species Act status of the monarch butterfly will likely have an impact on agriculture.
Megan Dwyer tells Brownfield, “Fish and Wildlife is going to say that it was determined that nothing is warranted; it’s warranted to be listed as threatened; or warranted to be listed as endangered.” She says, “Once that decision is made and it hits the Federal Register, there will be a public comment period which is going to be really important.”
She says ag groups are hoping for a threatened listing, which would give farmers more leeway than listing the species as endangered.
“And that would give the opportunity for what’s called a 4-D listing.” She says, “For a problem to happen, it has to have intention with it. So, if you’re going through your field, and you’re following the label, and you happen to kill a monarch butterfly, you didn’t intentionally take that monarch.”
However, she says changes to edge of field practices would still be in order.
“It’s really going to be looking at ensuring that we have places with adequate habitat where the monarch might be.” She says, “We know that the habitat is not the center of a field, but it’s going to be probably changes to edge of field and perimeters where the habitat could be.”
Dwyer says the initial ruling is expected soon, and the public comment period would follow. She expects any final rules from the listing to go into effect in late 2025 or 2026.
AUDIO: Megan Dwyer – ICGA
I hope they do the right thing for the monarch. There were only two monarchs around my area in Chicago.