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

On: August 1 Crop Report                              For Information Contact:                                                                              
                                                                 Terry Mathews
For Immediate Release: August 11, 2006                          1-800-256-4485              
                                                                                                       
          Cotton Yield Expected to be the Second Highest on Record 

Despite above normal temperatures and dry weather conditions this summer, the 
2006 cotton crop is expected to post the second highest yield on record in 
Louisiana.  “It’s better than it looked earlier,” said Nathan Crisp, Director
of the Louisiana Field Office of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistic 
Service.   “Rain has been spotty, but showers have helped, and variety 
improvements have helped,” Crisp continued.  Crisp added that sugarcane and 
hay yields are expected to be up while the other crop yields are expected to
be down from 2005.
 
Louisiana’s cotton production is expected to total 1.2 million bales, up 
102,000 bales from 2005.  An estimated 650,000 acres are expected to be 
harvested, up 50,000 acres from last year. At 886 pounds, the yield per acre 
forecast is up 8 pounds from last year.  Upland cotton production for the U.S.
is forecast at 19.5 million bales, down 16 percent from last year’s 23.3 
million bales.  

Louisiana rice production is forecast at 20.8 million cwt, down
33 percent from 2005.  Rice acreage for harvest is forecast at 355,000 acres, 
down 170,000 acres from the 2005 crop. This will be the lowest harvested acres 
since 1914 when 320,000 acres were harvested. Yield per acre is forecast at 
5,850 pounds, down 50 pounds from last year’s record yield.  U.S. rice 
production is forecast at 197 million cwt, down 12 percent from last year and 
down 15 percent from 2004.  

The Louisiana sugarcane crop is estimated at 10.68 
million net tons, up 2 percent from last year.  Yield is forecast at 24 net 
tons per acre, up 5 percent from last year.  Acreage expected for harvest 
(sugar and seed) is 445,000 acres, down 10,000 acres from 2005.  U.S. 
production of sugarcane for sugar and seed in 2006 is forecast 28.2 million 
net tons, 6 percent above last year.

Soybean production is expected to total 25.7 million bushels in Louisiana, 
down 11 percent from 2005.  An estimated 780,000 acres will be harvested, 
down 8 percent from 2005.  Yield is forecast at 33 bushels per acre, down 
1 bushel from last year’s record - tying yield.  U.S. soybean production is 
forecast at 2.93 billion bushels, down 5 percent from 2005.

Louisiana’s corn production is forecast at 37.7 million bushels, down 16 
percent from a year ago.  An estimated 290,000 acres will be harvested for 
grain, a 12 percent drop from a year ago.  Yield per acre, at 130 bushels, 
is down 6 bushels from 2005.  U.S. corn production is forecast at 11.0 billion 
bushels, down 1 percent from 2005.

Sorghum production is estimated at 7.49 million bushels in the state, down 
14 percent from 2005.  Acreage to be harvested for grain is forecast at 78,000
acres, 10,000 acres less than last year’s 88,000 acres.  Yield is forecast at 
96 bushels per acre, down 3 bushels from last year’s record yield. U.S. 
production for sorghum is forecast at 296 million bushels, down 25 percent 
from last year. 

Louisiana production of all hay is estimated at 875,000 tons, up 9 percent from
a year ago.  Acreage for harvest is forecast at 350,000 acres, unchanged from 
2005.  Yield, at 2.5 tons per acre, is down .2 ton from last year.  U.S all 
hay production is forecast at 142.3 million tons, down 5 percent from 2005.