Mrs Downey reckons the RSPCA knows nothing about managing stock during a drought and argues her three decades' experience raising cattle in one of the toughest parts of NSW makes her an expert.

The veteran farmer has less than two weeks to comply with a magistrate's order that she pay the RSPCA's $295,488.99 costs.

She doesn't have the money and doubts her 580-hectare property would fetch that much, even if she could find a buyer.

"It would leave me completely destitute if I had to sell up," she said.

Despite being found guilty of 48 charges of aggravated cruelty and 48 charges of failing to provide proper and sufficient food to cattle, she insisted she knows best.

Mrs Downey, who now has 53 head of cattle on her property at Pilliga, in the State's far north-west, said the area had been in drought almost continually since 2000.

During the hardest times, she hand-fed her dairy cattle every day, driving 70 kilometres to Baradine each week to pick up a tonne of supplements and sourcing hard-to-find hay where she could.

"Those cattle were lean but strong," she said. "Thirteen of them had calves and they were still chewing their cuds - and the cuds are the first thing to go if they haven't got enough food."

National Party MP Andrew Stoner said: "If there was a more constructive way for the RSPCA to deal with these cases I am sure the farming community would welcome it.

"There has to be a better way than hiring a QC to make sure an old lady gets belted and driven off her farm."

RSPCA chief inspector David O'Shannessy said the outcome could have been different if Mrs Downey had accepted advice.

"There is no doubt that her lack of finances contributed, however, the fact is she failed to follow any advice that was given to her," Mr O'Shannessy said.

"Mrs Downey was not receptive to any of the advice she was given of her management decisions in times of drought.

"The frustration in this case is had some of the advice been taken, it wouldn't have progressed."

It was the general rule, he said, that legal action was taken when an animal was put down.

He refused to say what action the RSPCA might take if Mrs Downey failed to pay the legal bill.

The RSPCA was "sympathetic to the significant strain that drought places on livestock owners" but drought did not excuse them from the responsibility to ensure animals in their care were appropriately fed.