La-Press-Release Louisiana Field Office 5825 Florida Blvd. Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806 Phone: (225) 922-1362 PRESS RELEASE On: September 1 Crop Report For Information Contact: Terry Mathews For Immediate Release: September 12, 2005 1-800-256-4485 Louisiana Crop Prospects Remain Strong Following Katrina Louisiana will long remember 2005 and the devastation resulting from Hurricane Katrina, but the state’s agriculture appears to be largely unscathed. Only the state’s sugarcane crop took a noticeable hit from Katrina. Record or near- record yields are expected from Louisiana’s soybean, cotton, rice and sorghum crops in 2005. Although the early season got off to a slow start, the hot, dry weather has allowed farmers to catch up with the normal harvesting schedule for most crops. Louisiana’s cotton production is expected to total 1.15 million bales, up 15 percent from last month and up 30 percent from 2004. Acreage of cotton expected for harvest was revised to 600,000 acres, up 10,000 acres from the June 1 estimate. The expected yield per acre, at 920 pounds, is up 106 pounds from last month and up 53 pounds from 2004. If realized, this will be the second largest yield in the state’s history. Upland cotton production for the U.S. is forecast at 21.6 million bales, down 4 percent from last year. Louisiana rice production is forecast at 30.7 million cwt, up 3 percent from the August 1 estimate and up 8 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 5,850 pounds, up 150 pounds from last month and 500 pounds from last year. If realized, this would be the second highest yield on record in the state. U.S. rice production is forecast at 228 million cwt, down 1 percent from last year but up 14 percent from 2003. The Louisiana sugarcane crop is estimated at 10.92 million net tons, down 9 percent from the previous month and down 1 percent from last year. Sugarcane acreage for harvest (sugar and seed) was revised to 455,000 acres, down 5,000 acres from the June 1 estimate. Yield is forecast at 24 net tons per acre, down 8 percent from the August 1 estimate but up slightly from 2004. U.S. production of sugarcane for sugar and seed in 2005 is forecast 30.2 million net tons, 4 percent above last year. Soybean production is expected to total 30.1 million bushels in Louisiana, up 9 percent from the August 1 estimate, but down 8 percent from a year ago. An estimated 860,000 acres will be harvested, down 13 percent from 2004. Yield is forecast at a record 35 bushels per acre. U.S. soybean production is forecast at 2.86 billion bushels, down 9 percent from 2004. Louisiana’s corn production is forecast at 49.0 million bushels, up 12 percent from the previous month, but down 11 percent from 2004. An estimated 350,000 acres will be harvested for grain, a 15 percent drop from a year ago. Yield per acre, at 140 bushels, is up 15 bushels from last month and up 5 bushels from a year ago. U.S. corn production is forecast at 10.6 billion bushels, down 10 percent from 2004. Sorghum production is estimated at 9.03 million bushels in the state, up 14 percent from the August 1 estimate and up 74 percent from a year ago. 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 95 bushels per acre, up 12 bushels from the previous month and up 30 bushels from 2004. If realized, this would be the record yield in the state, surpassing the previous record, set in 2001 and matched in 2003, of 85 bushels per acre. U.S. production for sorghum is forecast at 398 million bushels, down 13 percent from 2004. -30-