DROUGHT has forced the once-burgeoning irrigation district of Finley, NSW, into a dryland existence. PETER HUNT reports.

The Southern Riverina's carrying capacity, both livestock and human, has slumped in the face of the ongoing drought.

Fewer than 20,000 cattle a year are now being pushed through the Finley saleyards, compared to more than 70,000 in 1995.

Riverina Livestock Health and Pest Authority ranger Phillip Humphries said livestock numbers in the irrigation areas had fallen from 876,560 in 2005 to 508,600 last year.

"I think most people have reduced their breeding stock or tried to agist them in other areas,'' Mr Humphries said.

Local Landmark agent Peter Mills said he doubted farmers would go back to breeding large numbers of livestock on irrigated country once water returned to the district.

"I think people will be more alert to the value of water,'' Mr Mills said.

He said irrigators would plant rice as soon as there was a sniff of a decent water allocation, given the Asian grain was worth $550 a tonne.

Mr Mills' wife Denise, who is a partner in their Landmark franchise, said the district came alive when water was around.

Double cropping of summer crops and winter cereals, combined with lamb, beef and dairy production, meant irrigators in the district once had one of the highest disposable incomes in the state. But drought has forced many into a dryland existence, which struggles to support the wider community.Mr Mills said the human impact of the drought flowed right through the community.

"We used to bring 15,000 to 20,000 lambs (in wool) down from New England each season,'' he said.

"This year we're not bringing down any. That has multiple impacts, as there's no work for local cartage contractors or for shearers, and those lambs aren't leaving the district (earning revenue for farmers and the town).''

Mrs Mills said she was amazed at the resilience of irrigators and their community.

"They're strong, proud people who live in hope that it will rain,'' she said.

In the year to date, Finley post office has recorded just 9.1mm of rain and the district's irrigation allocations have been at, or close to, zero for the past three seasons.

Finley Chamber of Commerce president and local small machinery dealer Rand Wilson said the best the community could do was to try to help maintain a bit of optimism.

"My own business is operating at about a third of the peak in 2001-02,'' Mr Wilson said.

"We try to support all businesses through shopping promotions.

"We try to get the message out about how important it is to shop locally.''

Berrigan Shire mayor John Bruce said Finley High School numbers had dropped from about 700-800 a decade ago to less than 500 this year for the first time.

Like other irrigation towns in the shire, Finley has lost families who have been forced to find work elsewhere.

But Cr Bruce said the council was trying to keep young people in the community.

"(The council) has been running a youth careers forum to try to get students to understand they don't have to leave the district and go to university to get a job,'' he said.