The leather from the cows is taken from feedlots in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. They are then transported to Ada, Ohio. This commute is made easier because the cowhides are transported and not the actual cow. At an average commute between 700 miles and 1200 miles from feedlot to factory this saves hundreds of thousands of gallons of gas a year. The good thing about being an American product and made football is that it saves a lot of money in transportation. If the balls were made in an out of country factory, this would cost the manufacturer much more money than the current system does.
Having said all that, I still find it interesting that the materials are not taken from Ohio farms. While less in quantity, there are still many feedlots in Ohio and Indiana, in addition to this, Ada is a rural town where Wilson has the purchasing power to place a feedlot. This would cut back on transportation drastically. It would save them a lot of money and would be more environmentally friendly.
Photo: Created through google maps