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 12, 2005                         1-800-256-4485


       Cotton and Rice Are Bright Spots on the Agricultural Landscape

Which Louisiana farmers are smiling and which are not depends upon the
crops they’re growing this year.  The state’s major crop yields are a mixed
bag in 2005, at least partly due to the sporadic timing of precipitation
since the planting season.  “A couple of bright spots are the cotton and
rice crops,” according to Nathan Crisp, Director of the Louisiana Field
Office of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
“Louisiana’s cotton crop is expected to be larger than 2004 due to a
sizeable acreage increase, and the current estimate for rice yield would be
the second highest state yield on record.”

Louisiana’s cotton production is expected to total 1.0 million bales, up
115,000 bales from 2004.  An estimated 590,000 acres are expected to be
harvested, up 100,000 acres from last year.  At 814 pounds, the yield per
acre forecast is down 53 pounds from last year and 153 pounds from the
record crop of 2003 but still well above historical levels.  Upland cotton
production for the U.S. is forecast at 21.3 million bales, down 8 percent
from last year’s record high 23.3 million bales.

Louisiana rice production is forecast at 29.9 million cwt, up 5 percent
from 2004.  Rice acreage for harvest is forecast at 525,000 acres, down
8,000 acres from the 2004 crop.  Yield per acre is forecast at 5,700
pounds, up 350 pounds from last year’s yield.  U.S. rice production is
forecast at 227 million cwt, down 2 percent from last year but up 13
percent from 2003.

The Louisiana sugarcane crop is estimated at 11.96 million net tons, up 8
percent from last year.  Yield is forecast at 26 net tons per acre, up 9
percent from last year.  Acreage expected for harvest (sugar and seed) is
460,000 acres, down 5,000 acres from 2004.  U.S. production of sugarcane for 
sugar and seed in 2005 is forecast 31.1 million net tons, 7 percent above 
last year.

Soybean production is expected to total 27.5 million bushels in Louisiana,
down 16 percent from 2004.  An estimated 860,000 acres will be harvested,
down 13 percent from 2004.  Yield is forecast at 32 bushels per acre, down
1 bushel from last year’s yield.  U.S. soybean production is forecast at
2.79 billion bushels, down 11 percent from 2004.

Louisiana’s corn production is forecast at 43.8 million bushels, down 21
percent from a year ago.  An estimated 350,000 acres will be harvested for
grain, a 15 percent drop from a year ago.  Yield per acre, at 125 bushels,
is down 10 bushels from 2004.  U.S. corn production is forecast at 10.3
billion bushels, down 12 percent from 2004.

Sorghum production is estimated at 7.9 million bushels in the state, up 52
percent from 2004.  Acreage to be harvested for grain is forecast at 95,000
acres, 15,000 acres more than last year’s 80,000 acres.  Yield is forecast
at 83 bushels per acre, up 18 bushels from last year.   U.S. production for
sorghum is forecast at 380 million bushels, down 16 percent from 2004.

Louisiana production of all hay is estimated at 1.0 million tons, down 10
percent from a year ago.  Acreage for harvest is forecast at 400,000 acres,
up 30,000 acres from 2004.  Yield, at 2.5 tons per acre, is expected to be
down 0.5 ton from last year’s record yield.  U.S all hay production is
forecast at 149.9 tons, down 5 percent from 2004.