While much of the focus on the impacts of drought is on inland areas, farmers on the north coast of NSW are starting to see the impact of the extended dry.

Cracked earth, farms turned to dust bowls, and emaciated livestock have become commonplace images associated with the drought.

NSW North Coast under drought: In drought: 7 per cent

In drought: 7 per cent Drought affected: 92 per cent

Drought affected: 92 per cent Recovering: 1 per cent Source: DPI Combined Drought Indicator

However, for farmers in coastal areas — where there are some areas of green left — the toll of the drought is not always as clear.

Coffs Harbour produce farmer Paul Shoker said the seemingly green landscape on the coast could be deceptive.

"What we have seen on the north coast, is our last rain event was in the first week of June and things have deteriorated quite quickly and whilst the hills may seem green there seems to be little to no moisture in the ground left," Mr Shoker said.

"Many of our producers are saying things are getting quite tight on the farms here."

Mr Shoker is a board member of NSW Farmers and said while things were tough locally, many farmers disregarded their misfortunes.

"I guess most farmers will always tell you they're not as worse off as some of the producers out west," he said.

Mr Shoker said the extreme drought in other areas of the state has made him consider how his communications might affect fellow farmers.

"Even I'm mindful of the photos or any comments I put up online because (farmers out west) see the green hills and it can be a bit disheartening to see better conditions elsewhere," he said.

Lower than average rainfall means feed is being brought in at Dorrigo. ( ABC Coffs Coast: Melissa Martin )

A tale of two droughts

This stoicism among coastal farmers has been highlighted by politicians who have urged those in coastal areas to take advantage of the hardship assistance provided by the NSW and Federal Governments.

Federal Member for Page, Kevin Hogan, and State Member for Clarence, Chris Gulaptis, said the assistance being offered was an entitlement, not a privilege, and that farmers should not be too proud to claim them.

"Farmers by their nature tend to be very proud people and I understand that but look, a lot of them are doing it tough," Mr Gulaptis said.

"There's different degrees of this wherever you go, but that being said, (our local farmers') input costs are going through the roof because of the drought and the lack of feed available," Mr Hogan said.

"So, while they might not look as bad as others, they're feeling cost pressures and need this kind of help."

Dorrigo dairy farmer Julie Moore is facing skyrocketing feed costs. ( ABC Coffs Coast: Melissa Martin )

Different weather, same problems

Farmers in less-affected coastal areas share the same issues as tinder-dry inland farmers when it comes to paying for an accessing feed.

The drought has meant all farmers are paying significantly more to keep their animals alive.

Stock feed is expensive and hard to source. ( Supplied: Wholegrain Milling Company )

Dorrigo dairy farmer Julie Moore had been doing all the right things — preparing for the drought by forward contracting as much feed as possible, but the situation has become dire and expensive.

"The cost of grain has gone through the roof; in April I was only paying $340 odd a tonne, my last load was over $550 a tonne," she said.

"My grain bill's gone from $9,000 a month to my last load at $23,000, and that came from Griffith, I don't know where I'm going to get my next load of grain from."

Ms Moore and her husband are born and bred dairy farmers who moved to Dorrigo 16 years ago, due to the town's reputation for rainfall.

"We'd come through the millennium drought in Gloucester and the deregulation of the dairy industry and we were told we had to get bigger or get out," she said.

"We wanted to have reasonably secure water, so that's why we came here. In the 16 years that we've been here, there's only been five years that we haven't received our annual rainfall — which is 2,500mm — and three of those five years have been in the last four years."

Ms Moore has taken advantage of the subsidies available to assist with her freight costs, however she said while it was appreciated, it was only a small percentage of her increased costs.

The worst is yet to come

While struggling with the drought, there is a sense among the coastal farmers that they're "fortunate" and "not badly affected".

Nana Glen cattle farmer Garry Dew, like many others in the region, is seeing his water supplies slowly dwindle and feed disappear.

Despite the obvious increase in hardship, he does not see it when compared with those further west.

"We're so fortunate being so much better off than other areas. We were pretty good up to July, and (the dry conditions have) only been a couple of months, but other areas have been since Christmas and others have been years," Mr Dew said.

"They're at a stage where they absolutely have nothing; we've still got feed — frosted kikuyu and that."

Strong frosts winter are taking the green out of coastal farms. ( ABC Coffs Coast: Melissa Martin )

Ms Moore, struggling with drought-induced increases in costs, holds a similar view that she is much better off than others, but she foresees change coming.

"The coastal fringe has been reasonably lucky with rainfall in the last six months; we've had enough to get us by," she said.

"We're not as harshly hit by the drought at this stage but give it another month and I think that's when the reality will hit those that it hasn't hit already.

"In the last two weeks the feed and everything here has just vanished on our place.

"Some of my other dairying friends have irrigation, so at the moment they're still able to irrigate, but if it doesn't rain, the groundwater will disappear, and they won't be able to do that."

Stoic outlook, despite tough times

In Nana Glen, the lack of any forecast rain is weighing on the mind of Mr Dew.

"Water supply is dropping pretty quickly, the river is very low, the creeks are drying up and dams are dropping," he said.

"It's not that serious at this stage, but it will get worse, September is one of our driest months, as well as August."

Despite the hardships ahead, Mr Dew still retains the stoicism seen in so many coastal farmers who know there are those doing it tougher.

"We've still got some dry feed, we've been hit by a fair amount of frost, so that's taking a bit of a toll on our traditional summer pasture, but at least we've got something," he said.