SALT LAKE CITY-This week, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced agricultural businesses will now be eligible for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan and EIDL Advance programs.

The Washington-based organization’s disaster loan portal reopened after Congress’ authorization of additional funding via the Paycheck Protection Program and Healthcare Enhancement Act.

This measure makes additional financial resources available to farmers, ranchers and other specific agricultural enterprises impacted by this outbreak.

Agricultural businesses include those engaged in the production of food and fiber, ranching and the raising of livestock, aquaculture and all other farming and related industries as defined by section 18-B of the Small Business Act, per Chris Stever, the deputy director for the Utah SBA District Office.

Stever said the SBA will accept new emergency injury disaster loan applications on a limited basis.

Applicants must submit their loan documents through the portal established prior to the legislative change, he said.

This agency will process the new applications as well as those filed previously without the need for reapplying.

All other applications are to be processed on a first-in first-out basis, per a news release.

Stever said the SBA is still processing loans from the previous round of applications.

He hopes applicants can be patient as he and his office go through the vast amount of applications.

Although billions of dollars have been distributed to a wide array of small businesses already, prospective applicants should be aware there are still funds available to help them.

Stever said one other group may submit applications at this time to the new portal and all small businesses that used one of the first couple of versions of this application.