Kids hope for 4-H glory
Family works hard for Horseshoes 4-H Club

Nathaniel Cruz plays with a soccer ball after finishing his chores on his family's property near Grants, Wednesday. Cruz and his siblings are preparing several animals for competition in this year's Bi-County Fair. — © 2009 Gallup Independent / Cable Hoover

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — Fifty chickens, 30 ducks, 15 geese, 15 pigs, 11 black-face sheep, seven cats, six goats, four rabbits, three guinea fowl, two steers, a horse and seven children are in the same family, all of whom are members of the Horseshoes 4-H Club.

“Whew,” said Manual Cruz, the father of the children, who were running about at the family farm in San Rafael during their chores, such as feeding and watering the animals.

“We like to do things together. This gives us time twice a day to be together as a family,” he said.

Chad Roybal, 14, was walking, exercising and riding the horse; Lawrence Brown, 15, was watching over the little kids, Nathaniel, 9, and Bryan Cruz, 7, while feeding the sheep. Other family members were feeding the pigs in the pig barn. Luciano Cruz, Manuel’s father and grandfather to all the children, was collecting chicken and goose eggs for the family kitchen table.

Jessica Cruz, 10, and Ashley Cruz, 11, were playing tag.
Kyle Nanco, 11, was watching a new batch of kittens that were recently born.

The Cruz family has a 3.5 acre farm in San Rafael, which is bordered on all sides with a 6-feet-high pro panel white fence to help keep predators out of the animal area.

Only three of the Cruz children plan to take animals and other 4-H projects to the Bi-County Fair on Labor Day weekend.

Kyle will show two pigs and one lamb; Jessica will show two pigs; and Nathaniel will show two pigs and two lambs.

Some of the children have different last names: Kyle Nanco is the son of Cruz’s wife Sherry, before she and Manual Cruz were married. Chad Roybal and Lawrence Brown are brothers who were adopted.

Two of the family’s turkeys, both males, were strutting and calling to each other, fighting over the two female turkeys.

Cruz had one of the children put one of the male turkeys in a fence to separate them.

“I like being in 4-H because I like to show animals,” Jessica said.

She has a blue-butt cross pig and a Hampshire pig and will also prepare and submit ceramics, woodworking, sewing, baking and beading projects to the 4-H Indoor Exhibits area.

Jessica was very shy. She just shrugged her shoulders and smiled when asked why she likes showing animals.

She said she likes 4-H because she sees a lot of her friends from school.

Nathaniel will show two pigs and two lambs for the first time as a 4-H Club member. He has shown animals at the booster or Clover Bud level — this is his fifth year — which is a pre-4-H Club that prepares youth for becoming 4-H members at age 9.

“This is for real this year. I want to get more experience at showing animals. I like to be with animals, they’re my friends,” he said.

He said he will be upset when the animals have to be sold for meat, “But that’s 4-H.”

He said he will also be entering other projects in the 4-H Indoor Exhibit area such as ceramics, leather working, woodworking, sewing and beading.

Kyle is the star of the family this year, as far as who is entering the Bi-County Fair.

Kyle sold a bench that he made in the woodworking category last year, as Best of Show, for $2,000.

He said he plans to show two pigs and one lamb and will be doing something in woodworking, ceramics and sewing projects areas this year.

“My grandfather helped me with the saws,” while building the workbench last year, he said.

This is Kyle’s third year showing at he Bi-County Fair, he has been in 4-H and boosters for five years.

“I wouldn’t know what to do if I wasn’t in 4-H,” he said.

“He would probably be home watching TV all day,” Manual Cruz said, as Kyle nodded in agreement.

“I like showing pigs and lambs but I won’t show steers,” Kyle said. “I’m afraid of steers, I’ve seen them go wild in pens.”

Both Chad and Lawrence, as they are getting older, said they are finding less time for 4-H because they are involved in basketball.

This summer both are on a Grants team called “Elite,” and are playing as part of the Amateur Athletic Union program.

Every day is a busy one for the Cruz family, they feed, water and exercise all their animals twice daily. There are no days off in 4-H.