Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns on Sept. 9 announced the September Crop Production report, to be released Sept. 12 by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), will include crop yield and production forecasts hurricane damage along the Gulf Coast and drought conditions in the Midwest.

"This report will provide the first USDA assessment of the effects of Hurricane Katrina on our farmers and ranchers," said Johanns. "While it will take some time to determine the full impact of both the hurricane and drought, this report will give us some insight into the extent of the damage."

NASS's monthly crop production forecasts are based on results from the Agricultural Yield Survey, through which a sample of farmers report expected crop yields, and the Objective Yield Survey, through which NASS enumerators measure actual crop conditions in sampled fields.

Data from the surveys generally reflect crop conditions as of the first of the month. In cases where there is a significant change in conditions near the survey reporting date, the primary goal is to provide the most accurate production forecast possible based on the survey data available from producers and field visits.