Government Expands Eligibility For Canada Emergency Business Account

May 20, 2020

Farmers will benefit from this week's announced expansion of eligibility to the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA).

The federal government changed the eligibility to ensure farmers without payroll can now access the $40,000 interest-free loan, up to $10,000 of which is forgiven if the rest is repaid by December 31, 2022.

“Today’s announced expansion of the eligibility to the Canada Emergency Business Account is a big deal for farmers across the country," said Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau. "We heard from many farmers that the Canada Emergency Business Account did not work for them, because many did not meet the payroll criteria."

For those farmers who are still unable to access CEBA, they can turn towards the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund.

To qualify under the expanded eligibility criteria, applicants with payroll lower than $20,000 would need:

- a business operating account at a participating financial institution

- a Canada Revenue Agency business number, and to have filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return.

- eligible non-deferrable expenses between $40,000 and $1.5 million. Eligible non-deferrable expenses could include costs such as rent, property taxes, utilities, and insurance.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.