Today Green Plains Inc. announced plans to establish Monarch Fueling Stations on-site at their plants in Shenandoah and Superior.

The site in Shenandoah is 1.75 acres and seeding is expected to take place in the spring of 2022.  

“We’re happy to contribute to this statewide project,” said Cory Scamman, general manager, Green Plains Shenandoah LLC. “This initiative is doing great work to preserve an important species and we look forward to establishing a habitat on our property.”

At Superior they plan to establish the habitat on a field currently being used to grow hay. The plant will start by converting one or two acres but there is potential to expand the habitat by several acres.

“I think it’s important to promote habitat for endangered pollinators like the monarch,” said Tod Smith, plant manager, Green Plains Superior LLC. “I’m looking forward to having a fueling station for them in the Superior area.”

The location and size of both habitats was decided in consultation with Habitat Establishment Coordinator Kevin Reynolds.

“Green Plains and the rest of the Monarch Fueling Station Project partners are to be commended for their commitment to Iowa’s environment,” Reynolds said. “The Monarch Fueling Station Project has already led to nearly 50 acres of new monarch butterfly habitat and as we see today, that is only the beginning. It is exciting to see these projects take off and flourish.”

The Monarch Fueling Station Project was established by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (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. To learn more about the IRFA Monarch Fueling Station Project, contact IRFA at info@IowaRFA.org or 515-252-6249.