MARSHALL, Minn.— China’s purchase of more than $6.6 billion in U.S. soybeans is a boon for Minnesota, one of the largest soybean producing states.

Soybean farmer Jim Call says it’s a “huge deal” for Minnesota, which exported an estimated $900 million in soybeans to China last year.

As chairman of the United Soybean Board’s international marketing committee, Call was on hand when China President Hu Jintao visited with Gov. Mark Dayton, agricultural officials and lawmakers in St. Paul recently.

The Marshall Independent says soybeans from Minnesota that are exported to China are transported by rail to the West Coast where they’re loaded onto a cargo ship and delivered to processing plants along the coast of China.