Victorian dairy farmers will receive expert assessments of their farms and finances as part of an $11.4 million support package which comes a month after milk prices were slashed.
Farmers will also be able to access expanded counselling services after they were hit with massive retrospective bills when the prices were cut.
Dairy Australia managing director Ian Halliday says the Taking Stock program will help farmers determine their true position.
"An individual farmer will pull together their physical and financial data and then we will pay for a professional consultant advisor to go onto the farm, evaluate that information, and then help develop a plan going forward," Mr Halliday told reporters on Tuesday.
But United Dairyfarmers of Victoria president Adam Jenkins says farmers need to know now what the 2016/17 milk price will be.
"This is absolutely paramount to where we go," Mr Jenkins told reporters.
"We do need to start getting a heads up on what that number looks like so our farmers can start moving forward into next season."
The $11.4 million support package announced on Tuesday includes $6 million from the state government and $5.2 million from industry.
The later amount comprises $2.8 million from Dairy Australia, $1.4 million from the Gardiner Foundation and up to $1 million from processor Murray Goulburn.
Labor has set aside $4.5 million "to support affected farming communities and will consult on how these funds are best spent", Premier Daniel Andrews said on Tuesday.
The government last week announced $1.5 million to boost counselling services.
Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford believes Victorian dairy farmers can compete on the world stage but need help after last month's price jolt.
"This is something we've not seen in Victoria in the last 40 years - these are really challenging times," she told reporters.
Victorian independent MP Suzanna Sheed says dairy farmers are confused and emotional.
"There's a lot of anger at politicians, there's a lot of anger at free trade agreements, there's just such a feeling of helplessness in some ways," Ms Sheed told reporters.
The Shepparton MP said campaigns encouraging people to buy locally were proving heartening to farmers and their families.
The federal government - in caretaker mode ahead of the July election - has said it's in talks with the opposition in Canberra but no details have been released.
Murray Goulburn last month slashed milk solids prices from $5.60 a kilogram to between $4.75 and $5 a kilogram because of a global slump, with competitor Fonterra doing the same shortly after.
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