Growing up close to a famous amusement park, I have had the opportunity to ride a few roller coasters in my day.

I admit roller coaster rides were never high on my love list as the thrill was quickly trumped by the reaction of my head and stomach, but there were times the peer pressure gave in and I jumped on board. Most recently, I am quite happy to keep both feet on the ground or sit on a bench and keep tabs on everyone’s belongings as they have the ride of their lives. I just do not enjoy the head-jerking, body-twisting, stomach-churning experience, and do not need the extra excitement.

There were a few summers that Duane and I made it a priority to take employees to the park if they were looking for an extra thrill. Duane was always designated to ride with the ones that were brave enough to be snapped into a seat, and I gladly waited with their belongings or bought refreshments for those who were left behind.

One such time, Duane and a willing employee got off a crazy twisting ride, and as they came down the ramp, the employee was tapping the side of his head, as if to knock the marbles back into place. It must have worked because both of them got right back in line to do it again — and again.

There are many times throughout our tenure of dairy farming that I feel like we are riding on a roller coaster, especially when it comes to milk pricing.

When the price is holding steady, I always feel like we are slowly clicking along, ever so carefully, until we get to the top. Then, there is a pause — sometimes longer than others — before a drop, plummet, crash, and we go down so quickly we do not know what hit us.

The twisting, turning, and whipping that follows throws us for a wild ride. Just like an actual roller coaster, we are at the mercy of the ride and have no choice but to hope that we stay on the track while riding it out.

Last year, we were at an international dairy meeting and the topic of milk pricing was discussed. Many farmers from around the globe were sharing how their pricing is determined. The meeting was a reminder of just how complex and unique our pricing system is across the United States. It also clearly reminded me that we are in a free market system. In spite of the fluctuation, I am grateful for the system in place.

When Duane and I planned out our expansion for the dairy farm 25 years ago, we had a detailed budget for the next five years of our new venture. We thought that we were ultra conservative and thorough with the budget and following it would give us a supposedly secure future. We had no clue that we were clicking near the top and the coaster was about to take a dive and catapult us around in ways that we never anticipated. Needless to say, the budget was ripped up and the pencil was sharpened again and again.

If you have been farming for as long as we have, you also know that 10 years later, we jumped on the same ride and did it all over again. The year of 2008 into 2009 was like riding a coaster on repeat.

I wish there were easy solutions and concrete decisions in making sure we can withstand the plummet of the milk prices, the twists of the input costs and jerks of the economy; however, there are no real magical answers.

There are numerous uncontrollable scenarios that factor into the cost of milk. The cost of our inputs is equally as sensitive, and we need to keep an eye on both. I can strategize, plan, and hope that our choices are the right ones, but in the end it feels like a guessing game that puts us on an unpredictable ride. Like all dairy farmers, Duane and I make the best decisions for our operation and ride out the craziness until we can catch our breath and tighten the belt.

Risk management is a tool that we have used for years and it certainly helps alleviate the extremes, but I needed to adjust to the strategy and accept the fact that I give up the highs as well as the lows.

Obviously, it is easier to sleep at night when I give up the lows. When the milk price takes a deep dive, having a secure floor helps to keep my feet on the ground.

That also means that when the price shoots to the moon, I do not quite reach the pinnacle of the top, but instead keep my feet planted on the ground and the farm in a healthy status.

Understanding the farm’s margins and staying within the boundaries of both cost and value is critical for the dairy’s survival, and it keeps me off the wildness of the roller coaster ride. The volatile market has been a part of our landscape for as long as I have been farming. I can try to out-strategize it, I can try to out-guess it, or I can flat-out ignore it, but the ups and downs are here — so I must buckle up, secure my safety bar, and prepare for the ride.