The effects of the drought could soon be causing the prices of dairy products to increase.
When there's less water to grow crops that feed dairy cows, the costs of production increase, which translates to higher prices at the grocery store, says Dr. Jon Robison, professor of dairy sciences at Fresno State.
"A water shortage impacts all of food production," Robison says.
Already, he's seen the prices of alfalfa hay increase by $20 to $50 per ton. He says the Fresno State dairy farm used 275 tons of hay last year.
When the cost of food production increases in the dairy industry, consumers can also expect to pay more for their dairy products, says Virgil Hagen, grocery department manager at R&N Market.
"It affects prices of products at the retail level. They're going to increase eventually. It might take a little bit of time to get to the market. Sooner or later the prices will go up," Hagen says.
Consumers like Andres Fierro, will pay the price. Fierro has young children and says his family goes through several gallons of milk on a weekly basis.
"We're a family of five so usually take three of them [gallons of milk]," Fierro says.
As California continues to weather the drought, the effects ripple into consumers' wallets. Shoppers we spoke with say they won't cut back on their milk consumption-- any increase will just have to be a price they have to bare.
"People need to be very aware that drought conditions affect us all in one way or another," Robison says.
He adds that he anticipates prices of dairy products will increase in about 90 days as we enter the spring season.