Cattle exhibitors have shrunk from more than 500 last year to 400 this year as the drought forced many in the region to reduce their stock numbers.

David Manwaring's family have farmed their Cootamundra property since 1873. He has been forced to reduced his stock by 15 per cent as there is nothing for them to eat and the cost of hand-feeding is prohibitive.

Bureau of Meteorology analysis shows the present period of extreme heat and dry conditions since April 2012 has left much of Queensland, NSW inland of the Great Dividing Range as well as parts of South Australia in drought, with some areas receiving less than 70 per cent of their long-term average rainfall.

Other parts of NSW received less than half their average rainfall for the period.

''Most of us have gone down by 10 to 15 per cent but some have had to cut 50 per cent of their stock,'' Mr Manwaring said.

''You do it gradually - you try to hang on, so you might only do a couple of extra breeders you would have hung on to at one time.''

And the low prices of steers at the show have him worried.

''We were getting $2.20 a kilo four years ago,'' he said. ''But there were good steers sold at this Canberra Show for only $1.40 a kilogram.''

Mr Manwaring's stud bull weights in at 900 kilograms but it has been hand-fed.

''Everyone wants them to look their best but the commercial ones live off dirt.

''Females are doing it tough, usually you leave calves on 10 months, now since it's been dry you pull them off at six months because it's dragging the cow back too much.''

He said he had seen some cows with calves weigh in at 400 kilograms when a good weight was about 700 kilograms.

''We didn't get a spring last year so there was no hay and no water in the dams … It's hard trying to get hay from people because no one made hay last year.''

His property got 65 millimetres of rain last week but it will be months before the effects of that are felt.

''We're in dire straits now. We need that drought assistance money now to purchase water and feed and when the rain does come, like it did last week, rain doesn't drop feed on the ground, you have to wait.''

Australian Beef Association chief executive David Byard said cattle farmers were being robbed. He said the average price of steers was about $1.80. ''The real price has dropped 40 per cent because inflation has caught up.''

But he warned that steak lovers won't see a price reduction at their local butcher. ''$1.40 is awful and people are getting that but prices are a lot less than that for drought-riddled stock, it's dreadful.

''The price of retail meat has gone up 60 per cent up while the farmers' prices remain static.''