Bellegarde Visits Oklahoma

By: Morgan Angelle, Bellegarde Baker

This spring, I had the privilege of traveling to Western Oklahoma for the first time to meet and learn from some of the smartest people in grain. Our gracious hosts included Mike Schulte, the president of the Oklahoma Wheat Commision, Bob Baker, an organic wheat farmer and partner to the bakery, and Dr. Brett Carver, a world class wheat breeder working with Oklahoma State University.

With Mike as our captain, we set off on a tour of Western Oklahoma that could have only been lead by a proud native son. As we rolled through fields of wheat and canola, hills of Gypsum, a countless number of cows and more than a few majestic plateaus, each place we went and each person we met came with a fascinating story.

On one special stop at an OSU growing site, we met Dr. Carver in his test fields to discuss the future of wheat breeding and organic farming. It was a fascinating and insightful visit; I left with a real sense of partnership between scientist and baker and a renewed zest for the work we are doing at Bellegarde.

Traveling to 4th Generation Organic Farms to meet Bob and his team was a highlight of our time in Oklahoma. Standing in a field of windswept wheat was an experience I won’t soon forget.

I am so grateful to Mike, Bob, Dr. Carver and everyone else that made our short time in Oklahoma so delightful. I am a better baker for having met the women and men that provide us with the building blocks that make our work possible and I’m prouder than ever to be apart of Bellegarde team. We learn from the best and we bake with a purpose.