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.

Photo courtesy of Utah Farm Bureau

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.