Every evening they bribe the milk goat to mount the milking stand by putting a bowl of food in the yolk part for her. She happily chows down while Bryant (or whomever) milks her. Then he pours the milk through a filter into a chilled bucket and puts the bowl on the ground. The cats and dog usually get whatever the laws of physics left in the bowl. After Bryant washes off her teats she goes back in the pen with the other goats. When all is said and done, they usually have half a gallon of milk from her.

Bryant said it works out to about a third less per gallon to buy food and feed it to the goat than it would to just buy milk. Later in the week I had some on my cereal, and it was tasty and satisfying.

    

The other goat is getting ready to wean her kids, so Bryant is training her to be a milk goat. That involves separating her from the other goats and giving her a small bowl of the food she'll be given in the milking stand. While she eats it he pets and strokes her so she'll be use to his presence later.