“Louisiana farmers altered some of their March 1 planting intentions in response to weather conditions,” according to Nathan Crisp, Director of the National Agricultural Service’s Louisiana Field Office. “Wet weather in early March, followed by little or no rain throughout the state in April and May changed things,” Crisp continued. Cotton, rice, and soybean planted acreages exceeded the levels intended by Louisiana farmers in March, while corn, sorghum and sweet potato acres came down.

Rice planted acreage, heavily affected by Hurricane Rita in 2005 and hit again by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008, is at its highest since 1999, at 560,000 acres. This is up 90,000 acres from 2009 and up 50,000 acres from March intentions. Long grain varieties are expected to account for 520,000 acres and medium grain for the remaining 40,000 acres.

Soybean planted acreage is expected to total 1,060,000 acres, up 40,000 acres from a year ago and up 50,000 acres from March intentions.

Cotton planted acreage is expected to total 230,000 acres, the same as last year but 30,000 acres above March intentions.

Corn planted acreage is estimated at 490,000 acres, down 140,000 acres from a year ago and down 40,000 acres from March intentions.

Grain sorghum planted acreage is estimated at 90,000 acres, up 20,000 acres from 2009 but down 10,000 from March intentions.

Sugarcane acreage for harvest is estimated at 415,000 acres, down 10,000 acres from last year.

Sweet potato planted acreage in the state, at 15,000 acres, is up 1,000 acres from a year ago but down 1,000 acres from the March intentions estimates.

An estimated 150,000 acres were planted to winter wheat for the 2010 crop, down 35,000 acres from the 2009 crop year; an estimated 140,000 acres were harvested for grain.

All hay acreage intended for harvest is estimated at 410,000 acres, up 30,000 acres from 2009 but down 30,000 acres from March intentions.

Rice planted area for U.S. is expected to total 3.5 million acres, up 12 percent from last year’s planted acreage.

U.S. Soybean planted area is estimated at a record high 78.9 million acres, up two percent from last year.

The U.S. planted area for all cotton in 2010 is estimated at 10.0 million acres, 19 percent above last year. Upland cotton acreage totaled 10.7 million acres, up 19 percent from 2009.

The U.S. Corn planted acreage for all purposes is estimated at 87.9 million acres, up two percent from last year.

U.S. Grain sorghum planted area in 2010 is estimated at 6.0 million acres, down ten percent from 2009.

U.S. Sugarcane area for harvest as sugar and seed during the 2010 crop year is estimated at 863,900 acres, down one percent from a year ago and the lowest since 1990.

Sweet potato acreage for the U.S. is estimated at 113,800 acres for the 2010 season, up four percent from 2009.

The U.S. all wheat planted area is estimated at 54.3 million acres, down eight percent from 2009. Harvested area is expected to total 48.3 million acres, down three percent from last year. The 2010 winter wheat planted area, at 37.7 million acres, is down 13 percent from 2009.

U.S. producers expect to harvest 59.7 million acres of all hay in 2010, down slightly from last year.