BASF seeks 1000 new participants for 2019 #MonarchChallenge

Farmers and farm families needed to plant more milkweed

BASF is inviting farmers and farm families to sign up for the Living Acres #MonarchChallenge, a BASF biodiversity initiative seeking to restore the monarch butterfly population by planting milkweed in non-crop areas of a farmer’s land.

 

Milkweed, the essential plant for the monarch butterfly life cycle and the sole food source for the monarch caterpillar, has become less common over the years. With the continued decrease in these essential plants, along with the decline of the monarch butterfly population, Living Acres is gearing up for 1,000 new participants to take 2019’s Monarch Challenge and receive free milkweed seedlings this spring.

 

With the success of last year, Living Acres is eager to continue spreading awareness of the importance of milkweed. In 2018, the challenge successfully garnered more than 2,600 farmers, farm families and others interested in monarch conservation. This increased awareness in the challenge helped Living Acres plant over 32,000 milkweed seedlings across the U.S in 2018.

 

Among the many stories shared along the Monarch Challenge’s migration last year was one from Hunter Grills, a ninth-generation farmer in northwest Tennessee. Wanting to help the initiative, he reached out to BASF and, together with his two nieces, decided to plant a milkweed habitat on his farm last fall to be ready for this spring’s migration.

 

“As farmers, we understand weeds can be detrimental, but they are also essential to many insects and animals,” said Grills. “We are maintaining our crops so we can produce an adequate amount of food but also being good stewards of the land, and the Monarch Challenge provides us a way to do that.”

 

Living Acres is not only seeking to preserve the monarch butterfly population, but also aiming to preserve a farmer’s legacy for generations to come. This year, BASF hopes to have more farmers and farm families, like the Grills, join the challenge.

 

To sign up for the Monarch Challenge, please visit www.MonarchChallenge.com.

 

About BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division

 

With a rapidly growing population, the world is increasingly dependent on our ability to develop and maintain sustainable agriculture and healthy environments. Working with farmers, agricultural professionals, pest management experts and others, it is our role to help make this possible. That’s why we invest in a strong R&D pipeline and broad portfolio, including seeds and traits, chemical and biological crop protection, soil management, plant health, pest control and digital farming. With expert teams in the lab, field, office and in production, we connect innovative thinking and down-to-earth action to create real world ideas that work – for farmers, society and the planet. In 2017, our division generated sales of €5.7 billion. For more information, please visit www.agriculture.basf.com or any of our social media channels.

 

About BASF

 

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The more than 115,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of €64.5 billion in 2017. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.