Just Because: It's in the news

By: Carissa Hebert

On July 4th, a tragedy occurred to six-year-old Cameron Palmer when his maternal great-uncle’s anger took his life. Cameron was in Florida for the summer with his mother’s uncle, Tony Gonsoulin. If you heard the news, then you’ve seen this story splashed across headlines.

Cameron is my second cousin. His father, Jon, is one of my closest cousins. He is the son of my father’s sister, Maggie. Since I found out about this incident Thursday evening, I have literally been sick. My sister, Rachael lives in Orlando, and met Jon at the hospital. Her description of Cameron’s state has sent chills through me. No person should have to endure the torture poor Cameron did.

I thought long and hard about discussing this case in my column. In talking with my Aunt Maggie, she hopes other families will learn something from this incident so no child has to endure pain. No matter who you leave your children with, whether a sibling, spouse or friend, listen to them. Watch for signs of abuse. I’m not saying all children tell the truth 100 percent of the time, but listen to your child and try to learn the truth. A lot of times your answer might be, “Well you probably deserved it.” That’s fine, but please check on the situation to make sure the caregiver is not tormenting the child.

The next thing that bothers me is a neighbor saw some of the abuse and never contacted the authorities. Many friends have said he might not have wanted to be involved, but this was a six-year-old child who was defenseless. If the officers had been called, this story might have been different. I urge residents to report suspicious activities. Let law enforcement check it out. If it’s nothing then it’s nothing, but if something is wrong then it can be handled by the authorities. It would not hurt for someone to check on the complaint. And if law enforcement doesn’t show up, call their superior. Just don’t stop until you’re sure someone has investigated the incident.

Agriculture news

I received a news release on Louisiana farmers that I believe was very interesting. The article states farmers are expected to plant one million acres of soybeans. “This is the first time in four years Louisiana’s soybean acreage has hit the one million mark,” Nathan Crisp, director of the National Agriculture Statistics Service’s Louisiana Field Office, said.

According to Crisp, soybeans acreage is expected to total 1,000,000 acres; 359,000 more than last year and 90,000 acres above March intentions. The U.S. estimate is 74.5 million acres, which is up 17 percent from 2007.

He also lists information about the following crops:

•Cotton’s acreage is expected to total 290,000; down 45,000 acres from last year but up 10,000 acres from March’s intentions. The U.S. numbers are estimated at 9.3 million acres, which is 15 percent below last year and the lowest since 1983.

•Rice’s acreage is estimated at 410,000 acres, up 30,000 acres from 2007 and up 70,000 acres from March’s intentions. Long grain varieties are expected to account for 395,000 acres and medium grain for the remaining 15,000 acres. In the U.S., rice is expected to total 2.9 million acres, up by five percent from 2007.

•Corn’s planted acreage is estimated at 510,000 acres, down 230,000 acres from a year ago and down 50,000 from March intentions. The nation’s corn acreage is estimated at 87.3 million acres, down seven percent from 2007.

•Grain sorghum planted acreage is estimated at 100,000 acres, down 150,000 acres from 2007 and down 50,000 acres from March’s intentions. At the national level, an estimated 7.3 million acres is expected to be planted, down six percent from 2007.

•Sugarcane’s acreage for harvest is estimated at 405,000 acres, down 15,000 acres from last year. This is the lowest harvest acres for sugar and seed since 1996 when the state harvested only 370,000 acres. The nation’s harvest is expected to be at 871,500 acres, down one percent from 2007.

•Sweet potato planted acreage in the state is at 16,000 acres, the same as a year ago. The U.S. is estimated to have 104,100 acres for 2008, up three percent from 2007.

•Winter wheat is estimated at 400,000 acres which is up 165,000 acres from 2007. Of that total, an estimated 385,000 acres were harvested for grain. The U.S. wheat planted is estimated to be at 63.5 million acres, up five percent from 2007.

•The state’s hay acreage intended for harvest is estimated at 440,000 acres, up 40,000 acres from 2007. The U.S. expects to harvest 60.4 million acres in 2008, down two percent from last year.

Wow, farmers are busy across our state and nation. Louisiana is responsible for almost half of the acreage of many crops. I thought that was quite interesting. You can learn more at www.nass.usda.gov/la.