TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — Governor Spencer Cox’s newest Declaration of Emergency regarding the drought in Utah has opened up the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF)’s Emergency Disaster Relief Loan (EDRL) Program to Utah agricultural producers in all 29 counties with urgent drought-related expenses. The loan program will remain open to accept applications related to this emergency for a period of 6 months, from May 21 until November 21, 2026. 

The declaration comes at the behest of several departments that support the state in times of drought and other environmental emergencies, including UDAF. The funds from EDRL 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. Producers who need to take advantage of both the drought EDRL program and the crop failure EDRL program will need to submit separate applications with separate expenses.

“We’ve been preparing to open these programs since it became clear what kind of year we’re looking at,” said UDAF Commissioner Kelly Pehrson. “Many of our producers are going to need supplies and supplemental resources to a degree that puts many people’s livelihoods at risk, so this program will be instrumental in helping them make it through the season.”

Funds acquired through EDRL are 7-year loans with 0% interest for the first 2 years, and 2.75% interest thereafter. The maximum loan amount from EDRL is $100,000. Producers who wish to apply for an EDRL 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.