Nebraska, utilizing federal COVID-19 relief funding, has established a program to help businesses, including ranching, impacted by COVID-19. The Department of Economic Development expects to award grants of $12,000 to eligible businesses, for a total of approximately $330 million.

For those who operate a small business in Nebraska, the guidelines on qualifications are fairly wide open. As of March 13, 2020 the business must have 5-49 employees. The only other stipulation is a list of ineligible businesses for the grant are provided. These businesses are: Mining, Utilities, Finance and Insurance, Management of Companies and Enterprises, Educational Services, Public Administration, and Lobbyist and Political Organizations.

Farm and Ranch Specific Guidelines

While the grants are available to most small businesses, there are special eligibility requirements for those operations with livestock. Nebraska owned livestock producers with 1-10 employees as of March 13, 2020 are eligible. These operations must have closed or sustained a loss of revenue or employment since March 13, 2020. Examples of covered NAICS codes are: Beef Cattle Ranching and Farming, Dairy Cattle and Milk Production, Hog and Pig Farming, Poultry and Egg Production, and Sheep/Goat Farming. For these operations there is a requirement that two-thirds of gross income must come from farming or ranching, and operations must have at least 20 animal units.

For more details, animal unit calculations, application links and deadlines, please read the full article on farm.unl.edu.