With Iowa’s spring planting season just around the corner, Renewable Energy Group’s biodiesel plant near Newton is getting a head start with a unique kind of planting, the company announced. Local Pheasants Forever representatives recently conducted a seeding of native grasses, milkweed and other plants that attract pollinators, as part of REG’s Monarch Fueling Station project. The mixture has a special emphasis on milkweed plants, the only plant monarchs can lay their eggs on. Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Habitat Establishment Coordinator Kevin Reynolds helped REG get started with the project last year by eliminating nonnative grasses from the area. He said while the majority of the plants on the 1.5-acre plot will spend the first growing season developing roots, there will be some growth in the spring. “This is an exciting next step that is bringing us closer to the goal of providing important habitat for Iowa’s monarch butterflies,” said Daniel Schoenfelder, plant manager in Newton.