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 The legendary migration of the monarch butterfly is at risk of disappearing forever. As many as a billion of the iconic black and orange butterflies once traveled 2,500 miles from Mexico, through the Eastern and Midwestern United States, to Canada and back. This year, however, the winter population of monarchs in Mexico numbered only 33 million individuals. Another group of monarchs, the west-of-the-Rockies population that winters in California, is also in steep decline.

The plight of the monarchs is just one of the stark consequences stemming from the industrialization of the U.S. food system. Monarch populations began to decline in the late 1990s, about the same time that biotech giant Monsanto introduced genetically modified (GM) corn and soybeans. According to scientists, this link is no coincidence, but a consequence of the skyrocketing herbicide use spurred by the popularity of GM crops. On Nov. 4, voters in Oregon and Colorado will have an opportunity to speak up for monarchs – and for increased transparency in the U.S. food system – as both states consider bills that require the labeling of genetically modified ingredients in food. [As Milkweed Disappears, Monarchs are Fading Away (Op-Ed )]

GM corn and soy, also known as “Roundup Ready” crops, were specifically engineered to withstand Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer. The chemical, sold generically under the name glyphosate, effectively kills all the plants it touches, so it was used only sparingly when it first hit the market in the 1970s. Farmers used other methods to control weeds once their corn and soybeans began to sprout.

When GM crops arrived on the scene, the game changed. Farmers in the Midwest quickly adopted the high-tech seeds, which now dominate the Corn Belt. With these new plants, growers could drench their fields in glyphosate. The use of glyphosate soared ten-fold, with two unintended consequences.

First, the chemical wiped out vast swaths of milkweed, a native wildflower that monarch butterflies need to survive. Scientists now believe this wholesale destruction of habitat is the chief cause of the monarch crisis. Climate change and deforestation in the insects’ Mexican wintering grounds are also hurting monarchs.