When it comes to exports, China is Iowa’s second-biggest market. Crop production and travel fueled triple-digit growth in goods and service.

Chinese President Xi Jinping stayed in lowa briefly while he studied agriculture in the mid-1980s. It’s fast becoming a must-see, if perhaps unlikely destination, for the latest delegation of Chinese officials keen to follow in Xi’s footsteps.

Zhao Qizheng, former minister of the Chinese State Council's Information Office, said, “Our delegation’s visit looks back on the history of President Xi’s visit here, and we believe the Sino-US relations should extend beyond politics to people-to-people exchanges.”

China continues to study US large-scale agricultural methods as it feeds the growing appetites of the millions lifted out of poverty.

This latest Chinese delegation visited as President Xi and US counterpart Donald Trump work toward fulfilling a 100-day deadline for lifting barriers that impede trade. The US wants to boost exports to China to reduce a huge trade deficit and for these farmers, that means making hay while the sun shines.