Four generations of dairy farming have come to an end in the Lockyer Valley as low prices force one of the region's largest suppliers to sell up.

Mr Gerber is hopeful the industry he has worked in his whole life will have a positive future. "I think farmers need to take back control of their product. I feel that's the only way we'll get back to sustainable pricing. Giving control to the retailers and processors means farmers get screwed over all the time." (ABC Southern Qld: Peter Gunders)

"Think about where your bottle of milk is coming from," Mr Gerber challenged supermarket-goers. "What circumstances are people going through to supply that so-called 'cheap' milk? It's a highly nutritious, but undervalued, product. It's rather ironic that we now have a co-operative in northern NSW that is now starting to export fresh milk to China. They can get more money from China than we can from our local market." (ABC Southern Qld: Peter Gunders)

"Farming is something we do because we have a passion for it," Mr Gerber explained. "It's a fickle industry. We've got to get through floods and droughts and all manner of things, but unfortunately it's been a man-made catastrophe that, with even the best of our planning, we can't manage." (ABC Southern Qld: Peter Gunders)

"I'm the type of person who likes to know what's coming next," Mr Gerber said. "But it's going to be a leap of faith. I'll take a break. Retirement is not on the cards. But spending more time with my family is something I'll do." (ABC Southern Qld: Peter Gunders)

As the sale of his stock took several hours, a local church auxiliary group ran a sausage sizzle for lunch. "I've had phone calls and texts from friends and colleagues," Mr Gerber said with a tear swelling in his eye. "There's great camaraderie. And there's many farms out there in the same situation with financial and health problems all brought on by the antics by what's going on with the retail prices." (ABC Southern Qld: Peter Gunders)

"I sat and watched the sale for a while," Mr Gerber said. "I'm proud to see those animals go through the ring, and quite happy with some of the prices we received. We got in excess of $6,000 for the top cow." (ABC Southern Qld: Peter Gunders)

"A lot of the cattle that are being sold from my farm are heading south," Mr Gerber explained. "If you were to get a map of the world and ask yourself to put a finger where the local market doesn't reflect the world market price, it would be right here, in Queensland and northern NSW." (ABC Southern Qld: Peter Gunders)

While milk prices at the supermarket have fallen, stress levels on the farms have risen. For Mr Gerber, it was serious enough to make the tough decision to sell. "Most of these animals have been hand reared by my wife. She was the runner-up dairy farmer of the year in 2012," he said proudly. "But all of this stress brought her to a point where she could no longer participate in the day-to-day running of the farm. Our bottom line isn't necessarily about money. Looking after family and looking after our animals is my priority." (ABC Southern Qld: Peter Gunders)

"It's sad this great industry has been brought to its knees," Errol Gerber said, as the sound of the auctioneer's hammer echoed through the feed shed turned auction centre. Gerber says pressure from the retailers and milk processors are forcing producers to make tough decisions. "Until profitability in supplying this milk is brought back, we will continue to lose farms and lose a great wealth of knowledge and expertise." (ABC Southern Qld: Peter Gunders)

The decision to leave the family farm was four years in the making for Errol Gerber.

When he was offered a contract in 2010 to supply milk for less than he had previously, and less than he could afford, he saw the writing on the wall.

"I wasn't thinking of retiring. We had a member of the family wanting to continue with dairy. They won't have the opportunity now," he said.

"There always is life after whatever it is you do. At the end of the day I might say 'why did I put up with all this bullshit for so long?'"

He smiles, looking across the paddock as the cattle enter the sale yards, and answers his rhetorical question.

"But they look pretty good, don't they?"