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

                               PRESS RELEASE
On March 1 Crop Report                                 For Information Contact:
                                                                   TerryMathews
For Immediate Release: March 31, 2006                              800.256.4485


               COTTON AND SOYBEAN ACREAGE EXPECTED TO INCREASE

“Based on our March 1 survey of planting intentions, Louisiana cotton and
soybean acres are expected to increase over last year,” said Nathan Crisp,
Director of the National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Louisiana Field
Office.  “We expect cotton and soybeans to be up eight percent.”  Crisp
also noted that planting intentions for sweet potatoes show an increase
from 2005.

“The prospective planting intentions reflect the current economic and
weather conditions as of March 1,” Crisp cautions.  “Actual acreage planted
may increase or decrease based on what happens during the rest of the
planting season.”  A June 1 survey will be conducted, and planted acreage
updates will be released from that survey on June 30, 2006.

Cotton growers intend to plant 660,000 acres, up 50,000 acres, or 8
percent, from a year ago.

Soybean planted acreage is expected to increase 8 percent from last year,
to 950,000 acres.

Rice planted acreage is expected to decrease to 440,000 acres, 17 percent
below last year. This would be the lowest planted acreage since 1987, when
the state planted 425,000 acres. Long grain varieties are expected to
account for 430,000 acres.  Growers intend to plant 10,000 acres of medium
grain varieties, the same as in 2005.

Corn planted acreage is expected to total 280,000 acres, down 60,000 acres,
or 18 percent from a year ago. This would be the lowest planted acreage
since 1995, when the state planted 230,000 acres.

Grain sorghum intentions indicate acreage will total 90,000, the same as in
2005.

Sweet potato planted acreage, at 19,000 acres, is expected to be up 6
percent from a year ago.

Winter wheat acreage seeded last fall is estimated at 110,000 acres, the
same as a year ago.

An estimated 320,000 acres of hay will be harvested, down 9 percent from
last year.

An estimate of sugarcane acreage for harvest will be available on June 30,
2006.

The U.S. planted area for all cotton in 2006 is expected to total 14.6
million acres, up 3 percent from 2005. Upland cotton acreage is expected to
total 14.3 million acres, up 3 percent from last year.

U.S. Soybean planted area is estimated at 76.9 million acres, up 7 percent
from 2005 acreage.  If realized, this will be the largest planted area on
record.

Rice planted area for the U.S. is expected to total 2.97 million acres, 12
percent below last year’s planted acreage and down 11 percent from 2004.

The U.S. Corn planted acreage for all purposes is estimated at 78.0 million
acres, down 5 percent from 2005 and 4 percent below 2004.

U.S. Grain sorghum area in 2006 is estimated at 6.48 million acres, up
fractionally from 2005.

Sweet potato acreage for the U.S. is estimated at 94,200 acres for the 2006
season, up 4 percent from 2005 and down 3 percent from 2004.

The U.S. all wheat planted area is expected to total 57.1 million acres,
virtually unchanged from 2005. The 2006 winter wheat planted area, at 41.4
million acres, is 2 percent above last year.

U.S. producers expect to harvest 61.5 million acres of all hay in 2006,
down fractionally from last year.

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