If you farm in the Midwest, you may be able to help monarch butterflies next year and get paid in the process.
Photo by Kenneth Dwain Harrelson via Wikimedia Commons
Monarchs make their way to the United States in the summertime, and in recent years, these ecologically important (and oh-so-pretty) pollinators are having trouble surviving the season due to a lack of food.
Seems strange, especially during the summer months, when green things abound, but one of the monarchs’ main food sources is the native flowering milkweed plant, and it is rapidly disappearing in the wake of herbicides.
Photo collage by Pixeltoo via Wikimedia Commons
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service is taking action to target milkweed restoration and management on private farms and ranches in 10 states that provide critical habitat for monarchs (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin).
“We’re focusing efforts in the southern Great Plains and Midwest—two regions at the heart of the monarch’s migration,” announced the USDA last month. “In the southern Great Plains, our work will focus on rangelands and ways to improve the health of pastures so they provide good forage for livestock and food for monarchs. In the Midwest, we’re focusing on integrating plantings into croplands and making improvements to wetland areas.”
As with its other cost-share programs, the NRCS will offer financial assistance, incentives, and technical guidance to landowners whose property meets the specifications for monarch habitat establishment and/or improvement. The agency’s goal is to partner with farmers and ranchers “to voluntarily establish habitat for the monarch on working lands while ensuring America’s farms and ranches stay productive.”
Pollinators, as we know, are a vital factor in that equation.
If you’d like to get a jump on establishing healthy monarch habitat this spring, get in touch with your local USDA service center for details.
On the first day of Christmas, a farmgirl sent to me:
A full year of MaryJanesFarm!
On the second day of Christmas, a farmgirl sent to me:
Two Mossy Wreaths and a full year of MaryJanesFarm.
On the third day of Christmas, a farmgirl sent to me:
Three Rag Dolls, two Mossy Wreaths, and a full year of MaryJanesFarm.
On the fourth day of Christmas, a farmgirl sent to me:
Four Jars of Jam, three Rag Dolls, two Mossy Wreaths, and a full year of MaryJanesFarm.
On the fifth day of Christmas, a farmgirl sent to me:
Five Felt Cupcakes, four Jars of Jam, three Rag Dolls, two Mossy Wreaths, and a full year of MaryJanesFarm.
On the sixth day of Christmas a farmgirl sent to me:
Six Yo-Yo Pillows, five Felt Cupcakes, four Jars of Jam, three Rag Dolls, two Mossy Wreaths, and a full year of MaryJanesFarm.
On the seventh day of Christmas, a farmgirl sent to me:
Seven Orchard Farm soaps, six Yo-Yo Pillows, five Felt Cupcakes, four Jars of Jam, three Rag Dolls, two Mossy Wreaths, and a full year of MaryJanesFarm.
On the eighth day of Christmas, a farmgirl sent to me:
Eight Milk Cow Kitchens (pass ’em all around!), seven Orchard Farm soaps, six Yo-Yo Pillows, five Felt Cupcakes, four Jars of Jam, three Rag Dolls, two Mossy Wreaths, and a full year of MaryJanesFarm.
On the ninth day of Christmas, a farmgirl sent to me:
Nine crocheted snowflakes, eight Milk Cow Kitchens (pass ’em all around!), seven Orchard Farm soaps, six Yo-Yo Pillows, five Felt Cupcakes, four Jars of Jam, three Rag Dolls, two Mossy Wreaths, and a full year of MaryJanesFarm.
On the tenth day of Christmas a farmgirl sent to me:
Ten Clothespin Apron Patterns, nine crocheted snowflakes, eight Milk Cow Kitchens (pass ’em all around!), seven Orchard Farm soaps, six Yo-Yo Pillows, five Felt Cupcakes, four Jars of Jam, three Rag Dolls, two Mossy Wreaths, and a full year of MaryJanesFarm.
On the eleventh day of Christmas, a farmgirl sent to me:
Eleven Scrappy Hotpads, ten Apron Patterns, nine crocheted snowflakes, eight Milk Cow Kitchens (pass ’em all around!), seven Orchard Farm soaps, six Yo-Yo Pillows, five Felt Cupcakes, four Jars of Jam, three Rag Dolls, two Mossy Wreaths, and a full year of MaryJanesFarm.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, a farmgirl sent to me:
Twelve Tin Can Snowflakes, eleven Scrappy Hotpads, ten Apron Patterns, nine crocheted snowflakes, eight Milk Cow Kitchens (pass ’em all around!), seven Orchard Farm soaps, six Yo-Yo Pillows, five Felt Cupcakes, four Jars of Jam, three Rag Dolls, two Mossy Wreaths, and a full year of MaryJanesFarm.
The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 6,760 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—9,508 total! Take it away, MBA Jane!!! MaryJane
Wondering who I am? I’m Merit Badge Awardee Jane (MBA Jane for short). In my former life …
For this week’s Merit Badge, I decided to tackle one with my nephew, Andrew. Being a boy, he’s pretty good at tackling, so we channeled all that noisy, dirty energy into something worthwhile: his Cleaning Up/Trash Talk Beginning Level Merit Badge. Little did I know what I was getting myself into …
Beginning our project took some time, for starters. Mostly because I had to give myself a pep talk and channel all my tea-sipping, porch-sitting energy into something more … more high energy. Andrew is a feisty guy, a real go-getter, a pistol, as my Gramma Barbie would say (right after she made him take a nap, probably). But I just knew if we could focus all that squirmy liveliness into a project, it would be a beautiful thing. And also, his mom would owe me a favor. (She makes killer pecan brownies. I prefer to call in my favors when my sweet tooth strikes.)
“Ok, Andy,” I began, in my best no-nonsense, teacher-type voice. “Today, we’re going to play with garbage!”
photo by CGP Grey via Wikimedia Commons
This was music to the little pig-pen’s ears. It was as if I had suggested we bounce on rainbows, ride a unicorn, or play video games until we burst into a firework display of Skittles. He was happy as a clam as we rode out to a couple of local places to learn about our city’s garbage. First up, the dump.
Or, as Andy liked to dreamily refer to it, Boy Heaven.
photo by Ropable via Wikimedia Commons
We spoke with the man in charge (whose job I believe Andy was already taking over in his curly little head), and asked him about recycling and what happens when people don’t bother. He was happy to talk with us, and Andy took notes in his superhero notebook like an intrepid little reporter.
Then we went to the recycling center where nothing goes to die, it just gets reborn. (That’s a good line, if I do say so myself. Write that down, Andy.)
photo by Bazoka via Wikimedia Commons
The recycling center was less stinky, and therefore, less romantical and wonderful for Andy, but he still had a pretty good time. Out came the superhero notebook again, and this time, he really fired some hard-nose questions at the workers.
Things like:
Have you found any treasures?
Can I have this?
What’s your name?
Why is your eye twitching?
Why do you have such a big tummy?
Where’s the potty?
It’s okay. I don’t have to go anymore.
Can I play on the equipment?
Stuff like that.
On the way out, we picked up his very own recycling container for his household and he was pleased as punch to be in charge of bossing around his family lovingly instructing his family on how to use it. He stapled the guideline pamphlet (with recycling dos and don’ts) to his notebook and decorated the rest of the pages with all the free stickers he got at the front counter. Then he tried to pocket the stapler, but I was onto the little guy.
Next up, dropping off Andy and getting me home to take a nap. He wore his recycling container on his head as he raced up his driveway and skidded to a halt next to a discarded soda can lying on the sidewalk. He promptly picked it up, disposed of it properly, and gave me a salute.
Right back atcha, dude.
The winner of my “Art Quilts of the Midwest, Magic Happens” giveaway is: Heidi Worthington, who said:
“My favorite quilters are my friend Angela and my friend Dixie. Several years ago, they started a quilting group at our church. At the time, I had never sewn on a machine before. Angela convinced my to try quilting. I was very skeptical. I completed my first quilt in about 5 months. Angela assured our group of beginning sewers it would be easy. It was an Irish chain. I designed the next quilt that I made with both Angela’s and Dixie’s help. The Upper Room Quilters still get together every week in Dixie’s sewing studio.”
———
And the original post for the GIVEAWAY was (thank you to the 27 women who shared their favorite quilt story!):
In the Dec/Jan issue of MaryJanesFarm, “Magic Happens” (on newsstands Nov. 10), I led you here to my daily journal for a chance to win the book Art Quilts of the Midwest, by Linzee Kull McCray.
The 20 artists featured in this beautifully illustrated book have created a community of original art forms that bring new life to an old tradition. For a chance to win the book, tell me about your favorite quilt or quilter in the comments below by Dec. 1. I’ll toss your name into a hat and draw a lucky winner the second week of December. Stay tuned for more magazine-related giveaways!
If you’re not yet a subscriber to my magazine, MaryJanesFarm, subscribe here for $19.95/year.
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
