Hurricane Katrina’s effects on prices for corn and soybeans – Douglas County’s two biggest crops – won’t be known for a few more weeks, analysts said.

Areas of the Mississippi River and the Port of New Orleans returned to limited operations Monday, with the bulk of harvest still to come.

“When the Midwest harvest gets into full swing and whether they’ll be able to handle grain shipments then, that’s going to be the true test,” said Terry Francl, economist for Farm Bureau, the nation’s largest general farm organization.

In its monthly crop report Monday, the Agriculture Department raised forecasts for cotton, rice, soybeans and corn over last month’s estimates.