Associated Press
Cotton production in Louisiana is expected to hit 420,000 bales this year, up sharply from 2008 when the summer hurricanes ravaged the crop, but well below previous production levels this decade.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in its report released Wednesday, forecast production in Mississippi at 485,000 bales. That compares with 683,000 a year ago, when farmers planted more cotton acreage.
Many producers in recent years have swapped traditional cotton acreage for crops like corn and soybeans, which are less expensive to produce and offer better prices.
In Louisiana, where hurricanes Gustav and Ike took a heavy toll on crops last year, 2008 cotton production totaled 281,000 bales. That was the low point so far this decade; since 2000, production has been as high as 1.2 million bales, in 2006.
Nationally, USDA expects cotton production to reach 13.2 million bales, up from 12.8 million a year ago.