USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agriculture Services Ted McKinney is leading a trade mission in China this week. He’s hoping to get the Chinese to lift their ban on imports of U.S. poultry. Steve Olson, Executive Director of the Minnesota Turkey Growers and Chicken and Egg Association says the Chinese market is an important one for his state’s poultry producers and he’s hoping they can get that ban lifted.

He says if that market can get reopened it will help producers bottomline.

Olson says trade is critical for both turkey and chicken producers.

Earlier this year China removed some restrictions on imports of U.S. poultry, but has maintained the ban linked to the U.S. bird flu outbreak.