Bridging the Gap Between Your Farm and the Bank. From land acquisition to seasonal cash flow, find out how Hardie Finance Group uses deep industry knowledge to create genuine competition for your business.
Standard business loans are often built for steady, monthly cash flows. Agribusiness Finance is specifically engineered for the unique cycles of primary production. It accounts for biological growth cycles, long lead times between input and harvest, and external variables like commodity prices and weather. Unlike standard loans, Agribusiness facilities often feature flexible repayment structures (seasonal or annual) that align with your cash flow rather than forcing a square peg into a round hole.
Think of a seasonal facility as your “bridge” between growing and harvest. These are revolving lines of credit designed to cover inputs such as seed, fertiliser, chemical, fuel, water and labour before your crop or livestock is sold. Interest is typically only charged on the funds you actually use, and the limit is often set based on your peak cash flow deficit during the season. Hardie Finance Group are specialists in assisting with cash flow forecasts and helping with appropriate working capital facilities.
Yes. Agribusiness term loans are commonly used for:
Land acquisition
Orchard or vineyard development
Livestock expansion
Infrastructure upgrades
On farm processing facilities
The bank will assess serviceability based on the combined performance of existing operations and the proposed expansion. Proper feasibility modelling is critical to demonstrate debt capacity before committing to purchase.
This often involves looking at Core Debt facilities with longer terms (generally 15 years and up to 30 years in some cercumstances) to ensure the expansion doesn’t put undue pressure on your daily operating liquidity.
Refinancing isn’t just about the interest rate. It’s about access to capital, better terms and higher service levels. The process involves:
Review: We analyse your current debt structure, security position, loan conditions and covenants.
Prepare: We examine financials and forward cash flow budgets to demonstrate serviceability.
Tender: We present your credit submission to a selected choice from our panel of over 30 business lenders.
Comparison: We present you with a side-by-side analysis of the best offers and help you choose based on rates, terms, access to capital and service to ensure suitability.
Negotiate: We discuss the deal pricing, fees and terms with the lender to ensure it’s their best offer.
Execution: We handle the paperwork and discharge process to ensure a seamless transition between banks.
Traditional bank managers are often generalists with high turnover rates. At Hardie Finance Group, you deal directly with a Principal who has 24 years of Big Four banking experience and a Masters in Agribusiness. We speak the “two languages” of farming and finance, allowing us to reverse engineer your credit paper to meet bank requirements while accessing over 30 business lenders to create genuine competition for your business.
Typically, lenders require:
Last 2–3 years financial statements and tax returns
Interim management figures (if applicable)
Detailed cash flow budgets
Asset and liability statement
ATO portal summary and statements
Loan statements for existing facilities
Production history
For expansion or development projects, feasibility analysis and costings are also required.
Yes. Infrastructure projects are often funded through Asset Finance or Equipment Loans, which can sometimes offer tax advantages like accelerated depreciation. Whether it’s an irrigation project, a new shed, or grain storage, we can tailor the loan term to match the the asset.
We do. Livestock funding allows you to purchase stock without tying up your property equity or cash reserves. These facilities are often secured by the livestock themselves, meaning the animals act as the primary collateral. This is an excellent tool for trading or building up breeder numbers.
Banks look for resilience across multiple seasons. They assess your ability to survive a bad year by looking at your equity position and your historical production averages. We help you present stress tested budgets that show the bank you have a plan for when the rain doesn’t fall or prices take a dip.
Seasonal risk is generally assessed through:
Historical production data
Commodity price trends
Geographic and climatic exposure
Water security, delivery and price risk
Diversification of income streams
Sensitivity analysis
They model downside scenarios to ensure debt can be serviced under conservative assumptions.
The first step is a Capacity Assessment. We help you determine how much ‘skin in the game’ (deposit or equity) you need and what level of debt the projected farm income can safely and sustainably service. Transitioning from leasing to owning is a massive milestone, and we specialise in building the 5-year plan to make it a reality.
Yes. Agribusiness doesn’t stop at the farm gate. We assist businesses involved in value adding, such as processing, grading and packing, cold storage and logistics, and services to agriculture. These post farm-gate loans often require a blend of commercial and agricultural banking knowledge and experience, which is exactly where our expertise lies.
These businesses are assessed differently from primary production alone, as margins, working capital cycles, and risk profiles change. Proper structuring ensures both agricultural and commercial components are appropriately assessed and funded.
