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The Rural Voice, 1999-04, Page 26HYDRA -SPREAD HYDRAULIC PUSH -OFF MANURE SPREADERS 285 BU. — 368 BU. — 421 BU. — 465 BU. — 550 BU. Eliminate some ol Ide's Problems pike chains. wan gears. shahs 8 bearings) with HYDRA -SPREAD The Canadian alternative in spreaders. N. E. HAGEDORN & SONS LIMITED — Paisley, Ont. website www.manurespreader.com 1-800-707-7271 If you've got a lot of land to cover and hard work to do, take a Polaris RANGER. Nothing beats it for farm work, construction, hunting and other farm and recreational uses. GEORGIAN POWER SPORTS INC. Highway 6 south of Durham 519-369-3594 POLARIS` RIDE THE BEST 22 THE RURAL VOICE curious, highly intelligent creatures. "They are easier to work with," says Sylvia. "The children really like them." The Van schaiks, who have three daughters, Laura, four, Melissa, 2 1/2 and Chantal, two months, agree "The girls love them." Goats are housed in large opcn pens perfect for these social creatures. It also makes maintenance easier. The barn must be clean and well ventilated, though draft -free. As goats can tolerate cold, the barns do not need to be heated. Browsers not grazers, goats are kept indoors, providing farmers with more land for crops. The downside of goats, both Parish and Van schaik say, is that they are not as hardy as cows. "They can die pretty quick," says Van schaik. Parish notes as well the idea of goats eating everything is a complete myth. "They are very picky. If there is anything wrong with their feed, they won't touch it." Obviously as these points indicate, farmers considering a move to goat milk production should have a working knowledge of the animals. Since becoming incorporated in January of 1997, the Association has been working hard to "get goats out there," says Armstrong. They have produced a video and brochure which provides an overview of goat farming, as well as tips on maintaining equipment and where to get supplies. Armstrong, who has been shipping goat milk for nine years says she now gets several calls a day from producers wanting to start. "The product is good. And a lot of ideas about the goats themselves are being proven false. They are personable, clean animals. They're absolutely addictive." "I don't think there's any question that the market is increasing," says Parish, adding that the goat milk trucker says he is picking up at new places all the time. Van schaik says that when he decided to buy some goats they were hard to find. "If you heard about some for sale you had to hurry, otherwise they were gone," he says. "When I talk to most goat producers the future looks good."0