TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — As of the governor’s Declaration of Emergency on May 15 2026, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) is able to open applications for the Emergency Disaster Relief Loan (ERDL) Program to Utah agricultural producers. The loan program will remain open to accept applications related to this emergency for a period of 6 months, from May 15 until November 15, 2026.

The freeze is expected to affect agricultural producers, consumers, local markets and the seasonal workforce that relies on the annual harvest.

“Conditions this year have already deeply affected agricultural producers here in Utah,” Gov. Cox said. “Due to an unexpected freeze in April following unseasonably warm conditions, many are facing devastating crop losses. This is the time in the season when emergency resources have the best chance to make a real difference in our farmers’ ability to survive and recover.”

“We appreciate Governor Cox acting quickly on this and allowing us to open up our disaster relief programs, as well as provide farmers with eligibility for federal assistance,” said Kelly Pehrson, commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. “In tough situations like crop loss, we have a duty to get assistance to producers and help them through seasons that might otherwise be too difficult to weather.”

The declaration was spurred by recent freezes in April that saw producers in 10 counties (Box Elder, Cache, Davis, Iron, Juab, Millard, Piute, , Sanpete, Utah, and Weber) lose up to 95-100% of fruit crops and significant amounts of other crops. The funds from ERDL are only able to be used for declared disaster-related losses that are not covered by any other insurance or indemnity. Complete eligibility requirements will be listed in the loan application.

“This year has already been hard on our producers, and the freeze was a devastating blow to a lot of people,” said UDAF Commissioner Kelly Pehrson. “We’ve been working with the governor to get this emergency declaration out and be able to get producers access to some of the resources that will help them get through the season. Without programs like this, we might lose a lot of them from the ag industry, and we really don’t want that to happen.”

Funds acquired through ERDL are 7-year loans with 0% interest for the first 2 years, and 2.75% interest thereafter. The maximum loan amount from ERDL is $100,000. Producers who wish to apply for an ERDL loan should contact their local Conservation District Resource Coordinator, as all loans must first be approved by the Conservation District. A list of Resource Coordinators can be found at https://www.uacd.org/districts-and-zones.

These conditions created a state of emergency under the Disaster Response and Recovery Act, found in Title 53, Chapter 2a of the Utah Code. The emergency declaration allows affected agricultural producers to access resources and assistance from the United States Department of Agriculture and the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.

The order is effective immediately and will remain in effect for 30 days unless extended by the Legislature.