Commissioner Miller Applauds AgriLife Research Mapping Monarch Migration (11/18/2025)

Commissioner celebrates support of these important pollinators for Texas agriculture

AUSTIN — Commissioner Sid Miller and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) today thanked Texas A&M AgriLife, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for their important collaborative research mapping Monarch butterfly migration along Texas highways. The study, which identifies migration corridors for the Monarch Butterfly, is a welcome example of how sound science, cooperation, and private-land stewardship protect pollinators without burdensome federal overreach.

“We applaud AgriLife and our transportation partners for doing the boots-on-the-ground research these pollinators need,” said Commissioner Sid Miller. “From smarter mowing schedules to targeted traffic mitigation, this research gives landowners, local governments, and TxDOT the actionable information they need to reduce Monarch mortality without strangling farmers and ranchers with one-size-fits-all federal mandates.”

This follows recent research showing that the Eastern Monarch butterfly population nearly doubled as of March 2025, according to the report released by the World Wildlife Fund-Telmex Telcel Foundation Alliance (WWF) and the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas in Mexico (CONANP). The study revealed that the population wintering in central Mexico's forests occupied 4.42 acres, up from 2.22 acres the previous winter.

“Texas is proud to be a central steward of Monarch migration,” Commissioner Miller added. “We celebrate the hands-on leadership from AgriLife and our transportation partners. Texans are ready to protect this iconic species without needless federal overreach that would hurt producers and businesses and deliver little conservation benefit.”

To learn more about this research, visit the Texas A&M AgriLife announcement here.

To read Commissioner Miller’s previous statement on federal overreach regarding the Monarch butterfly, click here.