A group of 10 agriculture professionals from the Ukraine are on a three-week visit to Iowa to learn more about the state. Alec Zama of the Iowa Council for International Understanding helped set up the visit. He says they designed the program in two parts, one to give them some theoretical knowledge, and the second to give them some practical knowledge. He says they’re staying with families in the Des Moines area and will be touring several businesses. They’ll also spend a week staying at a farm near Minburn. Zama says the Ukraine is known as the “Breadbasket of Europe”, but he says they use mostly human labor in growing crops. He says they don’t have the agricultural equipment, or the inputs like pesticides or fertilizer. He says they also don’t have hybreds and other technology and their trip is designed to teach them about those things. Zama says the trip also has benefits for Iowa. He says we gain from a cultural perspective and we also get to make contact with potential customers for our products. Zama says the group’s rotary club was already able to make a sharing agreement with the Des Moines Rotary Club during their visit.