Harvesting ideas: European group visits Midwestern Bio-Ag

     In 1989, when the Berlin Wall came down, it created opportunities for European companies to invest in a variety of areas, including agriculture.

     Six years later, Spearhead International was founded, and began the work of turning a one-farm business into one that covers a total of 200,000 acres in Poland, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania.

     “After the wall came down, there were tremendous changes in agriculture,” said Christoph Graf Grote, group operations director of Spearhead International. “The whole system was rolled over once. That opportunity is no more. All the farms have been reorganized, they’ve been bought, or restored, or whatever.

     “You could not build a 200,000 acre enterprise today without a huge, huge amount of money. But at the time there was an opportunity to do this.”

     Graf Grote, and others from Spearhead and another company, Honingham Thorpe Farm of the UK, had another opportunity recently: to hear Gary Zimmer, founder of Midwestern Bio-Ag, speak about biological farming at an agricultural conference in Europe.

     The group wanted to learn more, so they came to the United States. Specifically, they paid a visit to the Midwestern Bio-Ag plant in Monticello on Wednesday, May 3.

     Bob Yanda of Monticello, vice president of growth and development for Midwestern Bio-Ag, was notified on Tuesday evening that the European group would be in town Wednesday.

     “We’re here to see what Midwestern Bio-Ag are doing (with) biological farming, to see what the developments are, and whether we can get some new ideas,” Graf Grote said.

     Each member of the group of six, from Poland and the UK, talked about hopes for their visit during a brief roundtable discussion, led by Yanda, at Midwestern Bio-Ag on Wednesday. Five of them are connected in various ways with Spearhead.

     Pawel Kaczmarek is responsible for the Midwestern part of Poland. Maciej Pietrzak does business in the north, west and south of Poland. Jacek Ignaczak is responsible for new projects, as well as contracting. Piotr Skrzypek is in charge of growth and development, mergers, acquisitions and new projects.

     “I’m really glad to be here,” Skrzypek said. “We have the possibility to have fresh ideas of what to do in Poland and within the region as well.”

     Spearhead grows a wide variety of products, taking them from seed to packaging and delivery. They range from grains to sugar beets to seed crops, milk, livestock and more, but potatoes make up a large part of what it offers.

     Jamie Lockhart, calling himself the “odd one out,” is with Honinghan Thorpe. His company farms about 800 acres on the east side of the UK, growing mostly potatoes.

     “We had experienced problems with stagnating yields, and we were trying to unlock potential,” Lockhart said. “Gary, with his enthusiasm, drive and passion for what he does, has inspired us to think differently. We’re here now just to try to hear the bio-ag story.”

     They were in Monticello for about an hour, before heading to Des Moines to visit a John Deere facility. They also planned to visit other companies and farms before their week-long stay ended and they returned to Europe.

     “Then the work starts,” Graf Grote said.