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Colombian trade team tours Ohio farm, discusses the importance of a quality wheat crop 

A trade team from Colombia saw first-hand the quality of this year’s wheat crop during a tour on Wednesday in northwestern Ohio.

Enzo Galluzzo is the CEO of Molinos San Miguel, a milling company with locations in Bucaramanga and Santa Marta.

“For us the most important thing is the quality because our business is food for human consumption,” he says. “The quality is important to produce safe products.”

One of the tour stops was at Drewes Farms, a multigenerational operation in Custar, Ohio.

Tyler Drewes says it was an opportunity for the trade team to get an idea of where imported wheat is grown.

“We always like to be able to tell our story and make sure that the public and the world at large can understand the care and the time that we put into our crops on a year-to-year basis. It’s not something you can just plant and walk away from. It’s something you tend to actively in your fields, taking an interest in making sure everything is growing, and correcting any problems that might develop. In the end, we’re just trying to show that we can grow a quality product that can be shared around the world and help feed the world at large.”

Drewes is the district two board representative for the Ohio corn and Wheat Growers Association.

Paul Herringshaw is a corn, soybean, and wheat grower from Bowling Green.

“The hope is that they get an understanding of the care we put into growing the winter wheat and maybe we might find out some concerns they have that we can incorporate into our growing practices,” he says.

He is the district two representative for the Ohio Small Grains Marketing Program.

William Morales is the operations manager with Colombina, a food company that produces candies, cookies, and more.

“the quality and the amount of protein and the characteristics of the wheat is very important for us,” he says. “…the quality of the end product, in my case the cookies, depends on the quality of flour and the quality of flour depends on the wheat. The job the farmers do, the investments, and the technology on the (Dewes) operation is very important to that end goal.”

Ohio Corn and Wheat hosted the international guests in partnership with U.S. Wheat Associates. Through Ohio’s Small Grains Checkoff program, Ohio Corn and Wheat helps support the work of the U.S. Wheat Associates.

On Thursday the guests also toured The Andersons and Mennel Milling.

The trade team is participating in a multi-state trip. Other stops include Idaho and Kansas.  

Ohio Corn and Wheat says the state’s soil and climate is suitable for soft red winter wheat, which is used to make cookies, cake, and other baked items. Ohio farmers harvested more wheat acres in 2023 than any year in the previous decade.