Many farms will now be eligible for the interest free loan.Ottawa—Changes to the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) program make it a lot more useful to farmers, say national farm groups.While more than 600,000 small businesses accessed the program, farm groups and others said sole proprietors and businesses without payroll complained about being left out.As a result, the government changed the interest-free loan available to sole proprietors and businesses that rely on contractors as well as family-owned corporations that pay employees through dividends rather than payroll, Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said. The changes “are a big deal for farmers across the country.”Farmers without payroll can now access the $40,000 interest-free loan available under CEBA – up to $10,000 of which is forgiven if the rest is repaid by December 31, 2022.For those producers who are still unable to access CEBA, they should check out the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund, Bibeau said.Erin Gowriluk, Executive Director of Grain Growers of Canada, said the CEBA adjustments “are a good step, and upon first review, most farms that were previously ineligible would now be able to take advantage of the loan.“While there are still going to be new farms that, depending on when their fiscal year end is, will not be eligible, these changes should allow the vast majority of farms to utilize the CEBA if they wish. “We will continue to seek feedback from our members and monitor the situation closely to ensure that is the case,” she said.Farm groups were encouraged the government listened to their concerns about producers who were ineligible for the program, she said. “GGC will continue to advocate for the necessary reforms to business risk management programs, such as Agri-Stability, because it is the only means of ensuring that farmers have access to meaningful support when they need it most.“During these challenging times, farmers need a partner to ensure they have the tools to succeed. We need leadership from the federal government to provide a 'top up' of bridge funding to AgriStability so that it can be immediately adjusted to cover losses starting at 85 per cent of historical reference margins with no Reference Margin Limits.That support will help ensure the sustainability of the family farm, and ensure the Canadian food supply chain continues to operate effectively, she said.Scott Ross, Assistant Executive Director of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, said “We are still waiting on final details, but the changes they made appear to address a number of the eligibility concerns farmers raised. CFA and others had been looking for these changes, and barring some farmers still unable to access the CEBA because they use personal and not business bank accounts, this should make the CEBA accessible for a number of farms.”The federal announcement said there are concerns about business owners who operate out of their personal bank account as opposed to a business account and start-ups that have yet to file a tax return.Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.