La-Press-Release
Louisiana Field Office
5825 Florida Blvd.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana  70806
Phone: (225) 922-1362

                               PRESS RELEASE

On June 1 Crop Report                                 For Information Contact:
                                                                 Terry Mathews
For Immediate Release: June 30, 2006                              800.256.4485

                Louisiana Rice Acreage Drops To All-Time Low

“Louisiana rice and sugarcane farmers are feeling the aftereffects of
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita,” according to Nathan Crisp, Director of the
National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Louisiana Field Office. Rice
acres will be the lowest on record due in part to salt water intrusion.
“Sugarcane acres were also affected by the salt water,” Crisp continued.
Soybean and sorghum acres are down from the March intentions estimates,
while corn acres are up.

Louisiana farmers planted an estimated total of 360,000 acres of rice, down
32 percent from 2005, and the lowest planted acreage on record. Long grain
varieties are expected to account for 350,000 acres and medium grain for
the remaining 10,000 acres.

Sugarcane acreage for harvest is estimated at 445,000 acres, down 10,000
acres from last year. This is the lowest harvested acres for sugar and seed
since 1998, when the state harvested 435,000 acres.

Cotton planted acreage is expected to total 660,000 acres, up 8 percent
from last year and 32 percent more than in 2004.

Soybean planted acreage is expected to total 820,000 acres, 60,000 acres
fewer than last year and 130,000 acres below the March 1 intentions.

Corn planted acreage, at 300,000 acres, is down 40,000 acres, or 12 percent
from a year ago. This is the lowest planted acreage since 1995, when the
state planted 230,000 acres.

Grain sorghum planted acreage, at 80,000 acres, is down 10,000 acres or 11
percent from 2005. This is the lowest planted acreage since 1980, when the
state planted 32,000 acres.

Sweet potato planted acreage, at 19,000 acres, is up 1,000 acres from a
year ago.

An estimated 110,000 acres were planted to winter wheat, the same as a year
ago.  Of these, an estimated 100,000 acres were harvested for grain.

All hay acreage intended for harvest is estimated at 350,000 acres,
unchanged from 2005.

Rice planted area for the U.S. is expected to total 2.9 million acres, 14
percent below last year’s planted acreage.

U.S. Sugarcane area for harvest as sugar and seed during the 2006 crop year
is estimated at 921,900 acres, down slightly from 2005.

The U.S. planted area for all cotton in 2006 is estimated at 15.3 million
acres, up 7 percent from 2005. Upland cotton acreage totaled 14.9 million
acres, up 7 percent from last year.

U.S. Soybean planted area is estimated at 74.9 million acres, up 4 percent
from 2005.  Area for harvest, at 73.9 million acres, is up 4 percent from
2005.

The U.S. Corn planted acreage for all purposes is estimated at 79.4 million
acres, down 3 percent from 2005.

U.S. Grain sorghum planted area in 2006 is estimated at 6.3 million acres,
down 3 percent from 2005.

Sweet potato acreage for the U.S. is estimated at 96,000 acres for the 2006
season, up 5 percent from 2005.

The U.S. all wheat planted area is estimated at 57.9 million acres, up 1
percent from 2005. Harvested area is expected to total 47.1 million acres,
down 6 percent from last year. The 2006 winter wheat planted area, at 41.4
million acres, is 2 percent above last year.

U.S. producers expect to harvest 62.7 million acres of all hay in 2006, up
2 percent from last year.