According to Billy Bruce, a Stockton farmer and auctioneer, the U.S Drought Monitor placed the county in D-3 drought conditions, classified as extreme.
Recent rains improved the situation last week within the county to D-1 and D-2 levels, moderate to severe.
The farmers would be given a license and could keep or share with other farmers any of the harvested hay they had from their lottery selection.
The hay had to be used or shared by the farmer who did the haying, but it could not be sold.
Additionally, drought assistance involving water hauling or pumping was unveiled by Boeckmann.
He provided those at the event a card listing several websites and phone numbers — the information was targeted at those farmers needing assistance during the dry summer of 2018.
After he spoke and took questions, several farmers said before the rains came their land had turned brown, what little was left was not quality hay and the amount for harvesting was limited.
Those who grew crops spoke about how small their crop was when it came time to harvest.
Chris Chinn, director of the state’s department of agriculture, had statistics which showed how poor the quality was for crops grown during the 2018 summer drought as she talked about what her agency was doing.
She then introduced Boeckmann.