Uzbek delegation visits Big Bend

MOSES LAKE — Interest in a longtime Big Bend Community College educational exchange program brought a delegation of business owners and university professors from the central Asian nation of Uzbekistan to campus Tuesday.

“The delegation, impressed with Big Bend’s Japanese Agricultural Training Program, made time to stop during their visit to the Pacific Northwest and visit with Big Bend’s faculty about educational opportunities and challenges they face in Uzbekistan,” wrote Rebecca Pettingill, BBCC communications. “The delegates also outlined the current challenges and successes of the Uzbek agricultural industry that has made great strides to utilize new methods of horticulture and irrigation to provide food for its people as well as (prepare to) step into the global market.”

Aaron Mahoney, BBCC agriculture instructor, led the group on a tour of the college’s workforce education center and demonstrated the FarmBot, the college’s agricultural robot. The delegation talked about agriculture with BBCC staff and administrators, and Moses Lake High School FFA students.

Larry Rimple, director of the JATP program, said the visit provided a good opportunity to learn about Uzbekistan and its agriculture.

“I’m very excited about the educational impact our meeting will have both for BBCC and the International Agricultural University in Uzbekistan,” Rimple added.