La-Press Release Louisiana Agricultural Statistics Service 5825 Florida Blvd. Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806 Phone: (225) 922-1362 PRESS RELEASE 2005 Louisiana Crop Acreage & Production - January For Information Contact: Terry Mathews For Immediate Release: January 12, 2006 800.256.4485 Louisiana Rice and Sorghum Crops Set New Records For 2005 "Although early season indications looked very promising for several of Louisiana’s crops to set records, rice and sorghum were the only crops that were able to fulfill that promise," said Nathan Crisp, Director of the National Agricultural Statistics Service’s, Louisiana Field Office. Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, along with the drought, held other crops back. "All of the effects of Katrina and Rita weren’t felt in 2005," Crisp added. "We’ll have to wait and see what effect the salt water will have, especially on sugarcane and rice in 2006 and future years." Cotton production is estimated at 1,120,000 bales, up 27 percent from 2004. The state planted and harvested acreage estimates for 2005 were 610,000 acres and 600,000 acres, respectively, both up 22 percent from 2004. Yield per acre was 896 pounds, up 29 pounds from 2004. Upland cotton production for the U.S. is estimated at a record high 23.1 million bales, up 2 percent from last year’s production. Production of sorghum for grain is estimated at 8.7 million bushels, compared to 5.2 million in 2004. Total planted acreage was estimated at 90,000 acres, of which 88,000 acres were harvested for grain. Yield per acre, at 99.0 bushels, was up 34 bushels from 2004. This is the highest yield ever recorded in Louisiana. U.S. production of 2005 crop sorghum is estimated at 394 million bushels, 13 percent below 2004. All rice production is estimated at 30.98 million cwt, up 8 percent from 2004. Production of long grain varieties is estimated at 30.39 million cwt, and production of medium grain varieties is estimated at 598,000 cwt. The planted acreage estimate for rice was 530,000 acres, 8,000 acres fewer than 2004. An estimated 525,000 acres of rice were harvested, down 2 percent from 2004. The statewide yield averaged 5,900 pounds per acre, the highest yield on record for Louisiana. Record keeping for rice yield began in 1895. U.S. production is estimated at 223 million cwt, down 4 percent from last year’s record crop. Soybean production is estimated at 28.9 million bushels, down 12 percent from 2004. Total planted acreage was 880,000 acres, down 20 percent from 2004. Louisiana farmers harvested an estimated 850,000 acres, down 140,000 acres from last year. Yield was 34 bushels per acre, up 1 bushel from 2004, tying the record yield achieved in the state in 2003. U.S. soybean production is estimated at 3.09 billion bushels, the second largest U.S. soybean crop on record. Production of corn for grain is estimated at 44.9 million bushels, down 19 percent from 2004. Total planted acreage was estimated at 340,000 acres, down 19 percent from 2004. An estimated 330,000 acres were harvested for grain, down 20 percent from 2004. Yield per acre, at 136 bushels, was up 1 bushel from last year. U.S. corn production is estimated at 11.1 billion bushels, down 6 percent from 2004. Sugarcane production for sugar and seed is estimated at 10.47 million net tons, down 5 percent from 2004. An estimated 455,000 acres were harvested, down 2 percent from 2004. Net yield, estimated at 23.0 tons per acre, is the lowest since 1993’s 22.8 net tons per acre. U.S. production of sugarcane for sugar and seed in 2005 is estimated at 27.9 million tons, 4 percent below last year’s 29.0 million tons. Sweet potato production is estimated at 2.47 million cwt, up 6 percent from 2004. An estimated 18,000 acres were planted in 2005, up 13 percent from 2004. Harvested acreage was estimated at 17,000 acres, up 10 percent from last year. The statewide yield averaged 145 cwt per acre, down 5 cwt from last year’s yield. U.S. production is estimated at 15.7 million cwt, down 2 percent from last season. All hay production in 2005 is estimated at 805,000 tons, down 27 percent from last year and the lowest production since 2000. An estimated 350,000 acres were harvested in 2005, down 20,000 acres from the previous year. Yield was 2.3 tons per acre, down 0.7 ton from last year’s record yield. U.S. production is estimated at 151 million tons, down 5 percent from the 2004 total. CROP REPORT - LOUISIANA January 1, 2006 CROP HARVESTED YIELD UNIT ACRES PER ACRE (000) 2004 2005 2004 2005 Corn for grain 410 330 135 136 bushels Upland Cotton 490 600 867 896 lbs: bales Rice 533 525 5,390 5,900 lbs: cwt Sorghum for grain 80 88 65 99 bushels Soybeans 990 850 33 34 bushels Sugarcane (sugar & seed) 465 455 23.8 23.0 net tons Sweet Potatoes 15.5 17.0 150 145 cwt Hay, all 370 350 3.0 2.3 tons CROP REPORT - LOUISIANA January 1, 2006 CROP UNIT PRODUCTION PERCENT (000) CHANGE FROM 2004 2005 2004 Corn for grain bushels 55,350 44,880 -19 Upland Cotton lbs: bales 885 1,120 +27 Rice lbs: cwt 28,730 30,983 +8 Sorghum for grain bushels 5,200 8,712 +68 Soybeans bushels 32,670 28,900 -12 Sugarcane (sugar & seed) net tons 11,067 10,465 -5 Sweet Potatoes cwt 2,325 2,465 +6 Hay, all tons 1,110 805 -27 CROP REPORT - UNITED STATES January 1, 2006 CROP HARVESTED YIELD UNIT ACRES PER ACRE (000) 2004 2005 2004 2005 Corn for grain 73,631 75,107 160.4 147.9 bushels Upland Cotton 12,809 13,434 843 824 lbs: bales Rice 3,325 3,364 6,988 6,636 lbs: cwt Sorghum for grain 6,517 5,736 69.6 68.7 bushels Soybeans 73,958 71,361 42.2 43.3 bushels Sugarcane (sugar & seed) 938.2 922.9 30.9 30.2 net tons Sweet Potatoes 92.8 87.8 174 179 cwt Hay, all 61,966 61,649 2.55 2.44 tons CROP REPORT - UNITED STATES January 1, 2006 CROP UNIT PRODUCTION PERCENT (000) CHANGE FROM 2004 2005 2004 Corn for grain bushels 11,807,086 11,112,072 -6 Upland Cotton lbs: bales 22,505 23,064 +2 Rice lbs: cwt 232,362 223,235 -4 Sorghum for grain bushels 453,654 393,893 -13 Soybeans bushels 3,123,686 3,086,432 -1 Sugarcane (sugar & seed) net tons 29,013 27,897 -4 Sweet Potatoes cwt 16,112 15,747 -2 Hay, all tons 158,247 150,590 -5