Sow in spring, sell at harvest, stay funded in between
Seed, feed and machinery are paid for months before harvest income lands. One request reaches funders who work with seasonal cycles, and checking your options never touches your credit score.
The bills come first. The cheque comes last.
With combinable crops you might drill in autumn and not see a penny until the grain leaves the store the following summer, while beef can tie up cash for two years or more between buying a calf and selling a finished animal. The bills do not wait. Seed, fertiliser, sprays, feed, fuel, vet and labour all fall due long before the cheque arrives, and many inputs are bought in bulk months ahead to lock in a better price.
Dairy is the exception that proves the rule, with a monthly milk cheque that smooths things out, but almost every farm carries a long gap between spending and getting paid. The job of funding is to bridge that gap so a hard winter or a late harvest does not force a sale at the wrong price.
The gap is the business, not a fault in itThe machinery is the strongest thing you own.
A tractor, combine, baler, milking parlour or grain store is the largest single line on most farms, and it is also the clearest asset in a funding conversation. On equipment & asset finance the cost is spread over the working life of the kit, often with seasonal or annual repayments timed to harvest or milk income rather than flat monthly amounts, and the machine itself usually helps to secure the deal.
For the bigger builds, a business term loan covers new sheds, land, irrigation or a diversification venture over a set period. And where a sale has gone but the money has not, invoice finance releases cash tied up in invoices to merchants, processors or supermarkets rather than waiting out their terms.
The kit earns while it is being paid forOne request reaches funding partners who work with seasonal cycles, and comparing is a soft search that leaves your credit score exactly where it is.
Weather can move all of this by weeks.
Arable businesses face a big outlay on seed, fertiliser and contracting in autumn and spring, then a single concentrated payday at harvest. Livestock farms carry the feed cost for months before sale, and lambing or calving brings its own spike in labour and vet bills. A wet drilling window or a late harvest shifts the whole calendar, which is exactly why a buffer earns its place.
Arrange it before the window opens
A business line of credit sits ready and costs you only what you draw, which suits an unexpected vet bill or a repair in the middle of a working week far better than a lump you took in advance.
Support payments are not the plug they were
Scheme payments arrive on their own timetable rather than yours, so more farms now favour a flexible facility to smooth the gaps instead of counting on a single dependable payment date.
Never sell at the wrong moment
The point of the buffer is simple: keep the farm running through the gap between spending and getting paid, without selling stock or crop at a price you would not have chosen.
Farm borrowing falls into a few familiar buckets.
There is no single right product for a farm. Most use a mix: something asset-based for machinery, something flexible to ride out the season, and sometimes a longer loan for a build. The right blend depends on what you grow or rear, who you sell to and how predictable the income is.
Machinery and infrastructure
Replacing a worn-out tractor, upgrading to a more efficient combine, adding a grain dryer or store, putting up a new livestock shed or installing a robotic milking system. These pay back over years, so spreading the cost usually beats draining the account.
Getting through the season
Funding the autumn and spring input bill, buying feed or store cattle, or covering wages and fuel until the crop sells. This is the classic use, and it is pure timing rather than trouble.
More land, better drainage, more water
Buying or renting extra ground, and investing in irrigation or drainage, are long-horizon decisions where the return arrives seasons after the money leaves.
Diversification alongside the farm
A farm shop, butchery, glamping site or solar array all take capital before they earn. Where a diversified arm takes regular card and online payments, funding repaid as a share of daily takings can suit that side of the business.
Bridging the buyer’s payment terms
Merchants, processors, abattoirs and supermarkets pay on their own terms, so a sale can be weeks away from being cash even after the crop or the stock has gone.
Match the term to the return, short funding for a short cycle and longer funding for something that earns over years. You can see every shape side by side on the funding types Capvant covers.
Pick the range the next season or the next machine needs, and see which funding partners would support it.
What decides it on a farm.
Farms are asset-rich and often cash-tight, and partners know it. They weigh the asset base first, then how your income actually arrives: a contract to supply a buyer, a record of scheme payments, and clean accounts all help a partner price an offer with confidence.
- Your land, and whether it is owner-occupied or held on a tenancy
- The value of the machinery, the herd or the flock behind the business
- Buildings, grain stores and the rest of the fixed asset base
- How your income arrives, and any contract to supply a buyer
- Clean, up-to-date accounts and recent turnover
- Diversified income from a shop, lets, contracting or renewables
Asset-rich and cash-tight is a recognised shape
Funding partners know a farm carries most of its value in land, kit and stock rather than in the bank. A strong asset base widens your options, especially for equipment and longer-term funding.
Repayments can be built around the selling season
Many partners will structure repayments around your selling season or your monthly cheque rather than expecting the same amount every month, which keeps the facility affordable in the lean part of the year.
One no is not the market’s answer
Because partners compete, different ones weight land, contracts and diversification differently. Comparing is a soft search with no impact on your credit score, and a hard check only happens if you accept an offer.
A little preparation makes for better offers: your last set of accounts, a recent bank statement or two, a note of your main assets and any tenancy, and a clear idea of what the money is for and when your income lands. When offers come in, compare the total cost, the term, any fees and whether repayments can flex with your season. Funding is for business purposes only and there is no guarantee of approval.
Capvant is a funding marketplace, not a lender, and serves businesses in both the UK and the US. The full path is set out on how Capvant works. Amounts in the artwork on this page are illustrative only, in £.
Frequently asked questions
Can my agriculture and farming business get funding through Capvant?
Yes. Capvant works with funding partners that fund agriculture and farming businesses across the United Kingdom. One request matches you with the partners most likely to say yes.
What funding suits agriculture and farming businesses?
It depends on your goal, common options include equipment & asset finance, working capital, business line of credit, invoice finance, business term loan. Compare them side by side and pick what fits.
Will checking my options affect my credit score?
No. Seeing your options through Capvant is a soft search, so it leaves no mark on your credit file. A lender only runs a full credit check if you decide to accept an offer.
Is Capvant a lender?
No. Capvant is a funding marketplace, we match you with funding partners and you choose the offer that suits you. Funding decisions, rates and terms are set by the lender, subject to approval.
How fast can I get funded?
Once you accept an offer, many businesses receive funds within a few working days, some products fund same day.
Stay funded between sowing and selling.
One request brings back competing offers from funding partners who understand seasons, machinery and the long wait for harvest income, and looking never touches your credit score.
No obligation. Checking your offers won’t affect your credit score.
Disclaimers & footnotes
- 1Capvant is a funding marketplace, not a lender. We match business owners with third-party funding partners; we do not make credit decisions, lend money, or set rates or terms. All funding decisions, rates, terms and approvals are made solely by the lenders in our network, subject to their criteria.
- 2Checking your options through Capvant does not affect your credit score. A lender may carry out a soft or hard credit search depending on the product, stage and your consent. A full hard credit check is only carried out where required by a lender before you proceed.
- 3Funding speed, including any reference to funding in as little as 24 hours, is typical for some products and lenders and is not guaranteed. Actual timescales depend on the lender, the product, and how quickly requested information and documents are provided.
- 4Funding amounts and ranges are indicative only and vary with your business profile, trading history, the lender and the market. Figures shown are not an offer of finance and do not guarantee any particular amount, rate or approval.
- 5Any offers, rates or repayment figures shown in illustrations or examples are for demonstration only and are not real quotes. Your actual offers, if any, are provided by lenders and are subject to approval.
- 6Product availability varies by market. Some products are only available in certain countries. Capvant currently serves businesses in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Capvant is not a lender and does not make credit decisions, we introduce businesses to third-party funding providers. Capvant is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Capvant does not compare every lender, broker, funding product or offer available in the market. We only show options from funding partners in our network that may be relevant based on the information you provide.
Capvant may receive compensation from lenders, brokers, funding partners or referral partners when a customer is introduced, approved, funded or takes another qualifying action. This compensation does not guarantee that any lender will approve an application or offer specific terms. Capvant does not charge business owners a fee to compare funding options unless clearly stated otherwise.
If you access Capvant through a partner, introducer or embedded funding page, that partner may receive a referral fee or commission if your request results in funding. This does not increase your cost unless expressly disclosed.
Capvant is intended for business-purpose funding only. Eligibility may depend on entity type, location, trading history, revenue, industry and lender criteria. In the UK, Capvant currently focuses on limited companies, LLPs and plcs, and does not currently support sole traders or ordinary partnerships.
Information on Capvant is general information only and is not financial, legal, tax or accounting advice. You should consider whether funding is suitable for your business and seek professional advice where appropriate.
Calculators, eligibility checkers and funding-readiness tools are estimates only. They are based on limited information and assumptions, and do not represent a credit decision, quote, approval or recommendation.
Company information may be sourced from public registers such as Companies House, or from information you provide. Public register data may be incomplete, delayed or inaccurate and should not be treated as a full credit assessment.
The Business Credit Score by Capvant is an independent statistical assessment based on public register data. It is not provided by a credit reference agency and may differ from scores used by individual lenders.
By submitting an application or funding request, you authorise Capvant to share relevant business, owner, request and document information with funding partners, service providers and introducers where necessary to process your request, subject to our Privacy Policy.
Some US commercial financing offers may be subject to state-specific disclosure requirements. Where required, additional disclosures will be provided and must be accepted before a transaction is finalised.