Cotton Crop Larger Than Initially Expected

Cotton modules at the Co-op Gin west of town.

A couple of months ago, most estimates for this year’s number of bales to be ginned by Roscoe’s Central Rolling Plains Co-op Gin were in the 32,000-45,000 range—not a bad year and certainly a great improvement over last year’s drought crop of less than 10,000, but still somewhat below average. 

But as cotton has continued to come in since then, estimates have steadily risen, and now Gin Manager Larry Black is guessing the Co-op will gin somewhere between 50,000 and 55,000 bales, and possibly even more than that.  As of Monday, the gin had already produced almost 15,000 bales with 2100 modules waiting, and there is still plenty of cotton in the fields to be stripped.  

Yields vary depending on area, of course, but averages are generally running somewhere between half a bale and a bale to the acre for dryland cotton. 

If reached, this revised estimate will make this year’s crop comparable to the 57,184 bales produced in 2008—about midway between the record 109,991 bales of 2007 and last year’s disastrous 9,966.

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“Injun Robert” and the “Sunrise Wind” Ceremony

So, how well does this year’s total correspond to the prediction made last spring by “Injun Robert” McBride?  

You may recall that on March 22 he performed the old Plains Indians’ “sunrise wind” ceremony, which supposedly foretells the outlook for the year’s crops, the same ceremony that used to be performed each year on March 22 by palefaces “Injun George” Parks of Roscoe and “Injun John” McCrim of Muleshoe.

The wind at dawn on March 22 was out of the southwest, which foretells an inferior crop.  However, performing the ceremony on March 22 without regard to leap years, as this year is, doesn’t correspond to the Indian practice of always doing it on the first day after the beginning of spring. 

As discussed in the March 28 issue of the Hard Times, the Indians obviously did not have calendars or leap years and instead had their own methods of determining the exact arrival of spring.  Since the day after the arrival of spring this year fell on March 21, that is the day the Indians would have used for their ceremony.

And at dawn on March 21, the wind was out of the northwest, foretelling an average crop according to Indian lore—and that is just what we are getting, confirming at least for this year the accuracy of the “sunrise wind” ceremony.

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ROBY DEFEATS PLOWBOYS 14-7 IN SEASON FINALE

Sterling Dowden goes over from the one for Roby's first touchdown.

In games between closely matched teams, the winner is often the side that gets the breaks—and such was the case Friday night, when Roby got at least three to emerge victorious over the Plowboys 14-7.  In the final analysis, two deflected passes and a fumble sealed the fate of the Plowboys.

A big part of the first quarter was taken up by a long opening drive in which the Lions moved the ball methodically down the field but were finally stopped on downs deep in Plowboy territory.  The Plowboys took over but couldn’t score, and the first quarter ended 0-0.

The Lions got on the scoreboard in the second quarter when Sterling Dowden completed a Roby drive by going over from one yard out.  The extra point was good, and the score was 7-0.  The Plowboys responded with a drive of their own.  Vincent Pantoja scored from the five, and Rafael Pantoja’s extra-point kick was good, tying the score at 7-7. 

The Plowboys had another long drive right before the half that was stopped by a fumble on the Roby 9-yard line.

In the third quarter Roby moved the ball down the field, but the Plowboy defense stiffened, and on fourth down and seven from the 22, the Roby quarterback threw a pass that was batted into the air by a Plowboy defender, and the Lions caught their biggest break of the night as the ball fell right into the arms of a Roby receiver, who caught it and ran to the two-yard line before being tackled.  The next play Sterling Dowden went over for the touchdown, and Roby took the lead 14-7. 

In the final quarter, Roby got another break when a Lion runner fumbled the ball that just happened to bounce right into another Roby player’s arms.  Their third break came as the Plowboys were driving down the field, and with only two minutes left, a Plowboy pass was deflected and once again landed in a Roby player’s arms for an interception.  That killed the drive and the last chance for the Plowboys to tie or win the game. 

For the evening, Cutter Davila had 14 completions on 27 attempts for 146 yards with one interception, while Eduardo Gallegos led the Plowboy rushers with 30 yards on four carries.  Jesus Leanos and Shelton Toliver led the receivers with 4 receptions for 59 yards and 6 receptions for 33 yards respectively.

The Plowboys end the season with a 2-8 overall record and 2-5 in district play.

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PLOWBOTS EXCEL AT REGIONALS IN DALLAS

The Plowbots' Web Design Team that won second place; back row,  l to r: Eduardo Gallegos, Mike Rosas, Alejandro Ortega, and Rene Diaz.  Front row: Braiden Moore and Amber Craig.

The Roscoe Collegiate Plowbots were one of three teams representing the Big Country Hub in the Regional B.E.S.T. Robotics Competition in Dallas this past weekend.  Sweetwater High competed in the Robot Competition, and Roscoe and ATEMS (the Abilene Academy of Technology, Engineering, Math & Science) competed in the All-Around B.E.S.T. Competition, which included events in marketing, web design, exhibit, spirit, and engineering notebook, in addition to the robot event.

The Plowbots improved their performance in all areas, but the highlight of the weekend came when the team’s web design members took second place—even though it was their first year to compete in web design and they were going against teams from Arizona and New Mexico as well as Texas. 

This year’s team has over 40 members from grades 6-12, led by co-presidents Faith Boren and Brant Burnett, who are both four-year members.  In addition to the Web Design team, pictured above, the team’s groups include the following members: 

Spirit Team—Jovana Pena, Micheala Horton, Joshua Stegge, Ty Fullwood, Shelby Spencer, Adrian Lomas, Kenley Reed, Andrew DeLeon, Ethan Morris, Mason Hernandez, Jayden Gonzales, Liv Madden, Veronica Cuellar, Bonnie Anglin, Caleb Boren, Adrienne Laurens, Austin Willman, and Megan Kirkland;

Build and Drive Team—Jose Chivera, Francisco Garcia, Parker Payne, Zack Rangel, Paul Pantoja, Corey Carriker, Braxton Parrott, Camden Boren, and Ethan Scott;

Exhibit Team—Mitchell Madden, Amber Craig, Braiden Moore, Kyle Bromley, Landon Jones, and Tait Fullwood;

Presentation Team—Faith Boren, Brant Burnett, Brenon Moore, Eduardo Gallegos, Tito Arce, Mirian Solis, and Samantha Ortega.

The Plowbots extend a special thanks to their sponsors:  Ludlum Measurements, TSTC, Vickie’s Gifts, Feed Store & More, and Hagerman NAPA.  Their support is essential to the success of the program.

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PLOWGIRLS WIN TWO MORE, BEAT COAHOMA 28-26, ROBERT LEE 30-19

Stina Tomlin shoots a free throw against Robert Lee.

The Roscoe Plowgirls remained undefeated in basketball by winning against Coahoma 28-26 in Coahoma on Saturday afternoon and Robert Lee at home last night 30-19. 

The game against 2A Coahoma was a tough one with the lead going back and forth before the Plowgirls prevailed.  The Plowgirls were up at the end of the first quarter 11-7 and down at the half 14-11.  They retook the lead in the third quarter, and finally eked out the victory by two points 28-26.  High scorers for the Plowgirls were Faith Boren with 6 and Mirian Solis with 5.

Then, last night the Plowgirls had an easier time against the Lady Steers of Robert Lee.  Still, the game was close in the first half.  The Plowgirls led 6-5 at the end of the first quarter and 13-11 at the half.  But they pulled away in the third quarter, going up by a score of 21-13, and went on to win by a margin of 11, 30-19.  Carolina Perez led the Roscoe scoring with 11 points; Eva Aguayo had 5; and both Faith Boren and Stina Tomlin had 4.

The Plowgirls’ next game is on Friday evening against the Lady Blizzards in Winters.  Game time is 6:15pm.

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WEATHER REPORT: FREEZE

The area got its first full-fledged freeze early Monday morning when the temperature dropped to 32°F and stayed there for about four hours before rising again.  The first time we had 32° weather a couple of weeks ago, my garden wasn’t affected at all, but this time was different.  The freeze killed my tomatoes, okra, peppers, and eggplants, leaving only my herbs still green and growing.

Last weekend was warm, sunny, and windy with highs around 80° and lows in the 55°-60° range, but that all changed on Sunday when a cold front blew in from the northwest, dropping highs down into the fifties and lows into the thirties.  Yesterday's morning temperatures were predicted to fall into the twenties, but that never happened as the low was 35°.

The forecast is for steady warming over the next few days with sunny skies, highs in the sixties, lows in the forties, and 5-10 mph winds from the south. There is no rain in the forecast.

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† BOBBY HANEY

Bobby Neil Haney, 78, of Imperial, California, passed away on Thursday, November 8, of a cerebral hemorrhage.  Memorial services were held on Monday, November 12, at First United Methodist Church in Brawley. Burial with military honors will be tomorrow morning at 10:00 at Riverview Cemetery in Imperial.

Bobby was born in Roscoe, Texas, on December 9, 1933, to Dew V. and Iva Clayton Haney.  He graduated from Roscoe High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts from North Texas State University and a Master of Arts from Pepperdine University.

He was a teacher in Sweetwater and in Heber and Brawley, California, where he was also the principal at Ben Hulse Elementary for 18 years.  He proudly served in the United States Army and was stationed in South Korea during the Korean War.

He enjoyed playing golf, attending theatrical and musical events, and visiting with family and friends. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion and was an active member of the First United Methodist Church. He also was a member of the California Retired Teachers Association.

He is preceded in death by his parents; his son, Perry Neil Haney; and his sister, Gina V. McGill.  He is survived by his wife, Sue, of 55 years; daughters, Malin Williams, Cynthia (David) Gunther, and Marilyn (Vance) McAlister; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Brawley First United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 1363, Brawley, CA 92227, or Imperial High School music scholarships.

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† BENNY HUNTER

Memorial services were held at 11:00am on October 15 in Aurora Chase Chapel, Aurora, Colorado, for Benny Dalton Hunter, 68, who died on October 8.

He was born on April 18, 1944, in Cisco to J. B. and Ida Lee Hunter.  He had two sisters, Linda Kay and Candace Diane, and one brother, Larry J.   He grew up in Roscoe, where he played baseball for the Boys Club and football and basketball for the Plowboys.  He graduated from Roscoe High in 1962 and went on to Tarleton State, where he was on the rodeo team as a bareback and bull rider. 

On June 7, 1963, he married Judy Reed, and together they had three children, Kevin Dalton, Kelly Renee, and Kyle Jeffrey.  He also had five grandchildren.  He had a successful sales career, primarily in the dental and medical fields, for over forty years.  He loved the outdoors and enjoyed camping, fishing, and “hunting” with his camera.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in his name to the National Alzheimer’s Association, c/o Ben Hunter, 455 Sherman Street, Suite 500, Denver, CO 80203.

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