THE weather will determine what milk price Waaia producers Danny and Donna Bergamin need to keep their business afloat next year.
"It depends a lot if mother nature kicks in and helps us get by on 25-30 cents a litre," Mr Bergamin said.
"If mother nature doesn't (we would need) a minimum of 40c/litre . . . even 45c/litre."
The Tatura supplier, who milks 250 Holstein cows, said the drought had forced him to buy in a lot of feed.
Up to 50 per cent of his fodder was bought in the past year, but this was sustainable because he was receiving up to 50c/litre for his average 7000-8000-litre herd with about 300kg/cow butterfat and 250-270kg/cow protein.
However, if rumoured milk prices for the next 12 months came true, feeding would not be an option, Mr Bergamin said.
"It makes me miserable not being able to feed the cows what I want to feed them because of what we get for the milk," he said.
"It is not worth it."
He said since the mid-season milk price cut he had "been slowly going backwards" and could not see how buying in hay at $300 a tonne was going to work if dairy farmers were paid 25c/litre for their milk.
With many other farmers in the same boat, Mr Bergamin said waiting a year for things to improve might not be an option.
"Twelve months' time will be a bit too late for some," he said. "Such a big industry is going to get lost. Once you lose your supplier base it is going to be very hard to get it back again."
However, he said turning his back on the industry would be his last option.
