DES MOINES - Barbados ambassador John Beale said his first ground-level look at America's fly-over country as part of Sen. Chuck Grassley's Iowa tour was impressive.

"I never expected to see the level of sophistication that you have," Beale said Friday at the close of a five-day expedition that drew 55 foreign dignitaries to Iowa.

"It's been an interesting experience. I had no idea of the number of the businesses you have here, the extent of the high tech, and the people are extremely nice," added Beale, who made the comment outside the biggest bull exhibit at the Iowa State Fair - the last stop of Grassley's ambassadors' tour.

Beale said he viewed "remarkable things" while touring Iowa State University's engineering department and he was impressed with the level of collaboration and cooperation among Iowa's high schools, community colleges, universities and businesses - something he hoped his Atlantic island nation could link into in the future.

Antonio Patriota, ambassador of Brazil, left equally impressed with Iowa's agricultural and educational systems on his first trip to the state. He said he was surprised to find the links that already exist between Iowa and his South American nation and he hopes to cultivate more when he returns to Washington.

"This is quite unique and very inspiring," he said of the Grassley-organized event. "It's been a great service."

Grassley said the ambassadors' tour, started in 1986, was designed to promote export and international trade opportunities for agriculture, manufacturing and services produced in Iowa, and to highlight Iowa's top-notch educational institutions to visiting dignitaries.

"This is to open doors. This is so that the embassy people in Washington know Iowa so we get access," the New Hartford Republican senator said. "The idea is to make Iowa a household word in the embassies of Washington, D.C., so if people come here from those countries to do business, we get that business."

While the ambassadors see the best of Iowa's industries and financial services, it is the interaction with Iowans, their friendliness and hospitality that makes the biggest and lasting impression.

"I don't believe that the people I've met here could have a bad bone in their bodies," said Beale, after rubbing elbows with other fair-goers viewing the 3,404-pound biggest bull at the state fair Friday. "They are straight forward. There are no curves in this place. It's been an interesting experience, and I've enjoyed it."

During Friday's breakfast meeting, Grassley said he ate some Iowa field corn to demonstrate to the European embassy representatives that he's been doing that for 20 years "and I'm alive so GMOs ought to sell in Europe. There ought to be no consumer resistance."