He tried the invention on Millie. How did she react? She gave a little milk. As the months passed, he improved the device. Milking Millie became easy. Mike Henry began to think other people who owned just a few goats might be interested in his invention.

So he offered one on eBay, an Internet marketplace. The first one sold for forty-five dollars. Interest grew. Today, he receives orders from as far away as Australia and New Zealand.

The regular price is one hundred forty-nine dollars. Recently he has offered the system for one hundred nineteen dollars, plus shipping and handling charges, at goatfinder.com.

The system is advertised as safe enough for children to use. The ad also says it is not a production milker and not designed to replace commercial machines.

The average milking time with the Henry Milker is ten minutes. Mike Henry says Millie now gives about two liters in half that time.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. What is your secret to gaining the cooperation of a goat at milking time? You can comment at voaspecialenglish.com or on Facebook or Twitter at VOA Learning English. I’m Bob Doughty.