Iowa businesses were surveyed in 1996 to gain a profile of firms and assess their international needs. The majority of the 440 firms that responded were relatively small in number of employees, yet had relatively large annual revenues. Agribusinesses involved in international business indicated a number of practical needs over the next five years, including leads about trading opportunities, information on laws and tariffs, and foreign business contacts. While a relatively low number of responding firms indicated language training as a need, those that did identified a number of languages which are important to their business. They include Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese. Agribusinesses indicated a geographical interest in Latin America and Asia. Implications for Iowa State University are that training and information on practical and immediate concerns are needed to complement the development of future programs providing training and research focused on specific geographic areas.