A series of declarations by the USDA, starting with announcements in mid-March, allow farmers and ranchers in Colorado to qualify for natural disaster assistance.
Counties in Kansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico were also designated as primary natural disaster areas the same day.
Producers in contiguous counties already eligible from the March 8 declaration, such as Baca county, may gain an additional week to apply for assistance.
Four Kansas counties also received a designation March 15, which allowed Prowers county producers to become eligible.
Qualified produces in the designated areas and adjoining counties can apply for emergency loans through the Farm Service Agency.
The SBA announced March 15 that small, non-farm businesses in 70 Oklahoma counties were eligible for low-interest disaster loans to help offset losses from reduced income caused by drought.
In Colorado, Baca county qualified under the declaration.
"SBA eligibility covers both the economic impacts on businesses dependent on farmers and ranchers that have suffered agricultural production losses caused by the disaster and businesses directly impacted by the disaster," according to Tanya Garfield, Director of the SBA’s Disaster Field Operation Center-West.
While economic injury disaster loans are triggered when the USDA declares an agricultural disaster, only businesses that are not primarily engaged in farming or ranching are eligible for the SBA disaster assistance.
April 17 is the deadline for eligible businesses in Kit Carson county, Colorado, to apply for disaster loans.