Utah farmers and ranchers struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic can apply for up to $40,000 in grants from the Utah Conservation Commission as part of federal relief funding headed under the CARES Act.
Commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, Logan Wilde, says total funding for the program in Utah is capped at $20 million.
Wilde says the many of the state's farms and ranches are on the brink of going out of business. Prices for commodities have dropped drastically, he says, and many distribution outlets have been greatly reduced.
The purpose of the grant program is to assist farms and ranches to overcome the financial harm of the pandemic, to continue food and fiber production in Utah and to maintain the agricultural operation’s supply chains and delivery of products to market.
According to Wilde, the commission may make a grant of up to $40,000 to an agricultural operation financially harmed as a result of federal, state or local public health measures taken to minimize exposure to COVID-19.