Though nearly 5,100 miles separated Sergey Nagaev in Balashikha, Russia, and the Jones Dairy Farm in Spencer, they found similarities working side-by-side for nearly one month.

The Jones family hosted Nagaev as part of an internship program sponsored by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and the Association of Private Farms and Cooperatives of Russia (AKKOR). Nagaev, a college student pursuing a management degree in Russia, has grown up around agriculture. His mom is involved in the ag sector in Russia, and Nagaev said his experiences visiting farms there were pretty...