Western Iowa Energy seeds Monarch Fueling Station

As Iowa farmers are wrapping up the annual harvest, plant employees at the Western Iowa Energy biodiesel plant in Wall Lake have already started planting for next year.

Plant employees recently conducted a dormant seeding of Western Iowa Energy’s Monarch Fueling Station. The seeding included native grasses and other plants that attract pollinators, including milkweed—the only plant on which monarch butterflies can lay their eggs.

Kevin Reynolds, Iowa Renewable Fuels Association’s habitat establishment coordinator, said many of the plants will spend their first growing season developing a root system, but a few of the species will grow rather fast.

“Once the habitat establishes itself, Western Iowa Energy will be able to make a meaningful impact to help grow and sustain Iowa’s monarch butterfly population,” Reynolds said. “These pollinators need habitat and Iowa’s biofuels plants are leading the way in finding creative ways to expand the number of monarch butterfly habitat acres across the state.”

Western Iowa Energy’s Monarch Fueling Station was established this spring with the help of Reynolds. Earlier this year, plant employees focused on eliminating nonnative grasses from the four-acre plot to prepare for the seeding. 

“We are excited to take the next step toward providing much-needed habitat for monarch butterflies and other pollinators,” said Kevin Bieret, operations manager of Western Iowa Energy. “We look forward to seeing the growth in the habitat come spring.”

The Monarch Fueling Station Project was established by the IRFA in partnership with the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium in December 2017. It is a program to help Iowa’s ethanol and biodiesel plants establish monarch habitat on plant grounds.