There are some jobs around the barn that you just don't hear much buzz about. That is, unless you are the one with the razor in hand.

For milk-bearing ruminants, hair 'down udder' can be a problem.

That's why when the goats from the Mega-Milkers herd had a few tresses on their teats Aug. 1, the day before they were suppose to show at the Boulder County Fair, Kirstan Castro, of Carpenter, Wyo., brought out her clippers.

"It's mostly about cleanliness," Castro said while shaving in the goat barn at the Boulder County Fairgrounds, located at 9595 Nelson Road, in Longmont.

During the milking process, the udders should be smooth to keep hair from contaminating the product, Castro said.

For showing, hairless udders promote the idea of untainted dairy products and make the judges' job easier.

"They can see [the udder] better, how well it's attached and where the teats are placed," Castro said.

After 'cue-balling' the udders at the fair, Castro, with the help of her daughter, Havala, 1, and cousin Anna Butler, 6, rubs the skin with Udder Balm, a kind of creamy after-shave.

Goat farming is a family affair for Castro. After begging for a goat for two years as a youngster, her parents finally gave in. She showed in 4-H and even got her mother, Karen Butler, hooked on the animals, making her the perfect goat-sitter while Castro went away to college.

"People call them the poor man's cow, but the personality of the animals are great," Butler said.

Now days, Castro, Butler, Erin Butler and a handful children and grandkids manage the Mega-Milkers herd at Saabian Farms. The farm name is a combination of the two goat types the family manages, Saanen and Nubian. The herd needs to be milked twice every day and the average is about eight pounds of milk from each goat, although some can give up to 14 pounds.

Saabian Farms specializes in goat milk products like hand cream, lip balm, soap, butter, ice cream and cheese.

To learn more about Saabian Farms, go to www.saabianfarms.info.