2004 FARM CASH RECEIPTS TOTAL $2.0 BILLION

Columbia, S. C., September 2, 2005: Preliminary cash receipts from farm marketings in SouthCarolina during 2004, including government payments, totaled $1,990,398,000. The nearly $2.0 billion is 12 percent ($206 million) above 2003 and 32 percent ($478 million) above 2002. Government payments for 2004 of $81 million, were 37 percent below 2003, but 23 percent above 2002. The number one commodity in terms of cash receipts during 2004 was broilers, accounting for 27 percent of the total, excluding government payments.

           CROPS cash receipts, at $833 million, accounted for 44 percent of the total commodity cash receipts during 2004 compared with 47 percent in 2003 and 2002. Preliminary 2004 crops cash receipts increased $51 million (6 percent) from 2003 and were $147 million (21 percent) above 2002. Greenhouse, nursery & floriculture, tobacco and soybeans were the top three crop commodities in 2004 in terms of cash receipts.

           LIVESTOCK AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS, with cash receipts of $1,076 million in 2004, accounted for 56 percent of the commodity total compared to 53 percent in 2003 and 2002. Livestock receipts increased 23 ($204 million) percent from 2003 and were 42 ($316 million) percent above 2002. Broilers, turkeys, and cattle and calves were the top three commodities.

Following are the top ten commodities for 2004 and a comparison with the previous year.

1/ SOURCE: Economic Research Service / USDA. 2/ Preliminary. 3/ Excludes government payments of $81.3 million.

For additional information, please call:

                                                          Robert A. Graham, Director

                                                          Stephen Pavlasek, Jr., Deputy Director