The 2026 purchasing season is almost upon us, and independent ag retailers face a challenging landscape: cashflow is tight for farmers. Commodity prices remain low, while input costs and interest rates are high. Only half of farmers will be profitable this year.
And yet, everyone needs to purchase next year’s inputs.
In these circumstances, farmers are likely to choose retailers that offer options to finance their purchases. Options like input financing.
If you’ve never been able to swing an input financing program, this post is for you. Growers Edge just launched an input financing offering specifically designed for small and mid-sized independent retailers, and it’s ready for prime time.
Read on for details and information about how you can sign up.
Designed for the Real-World Needs of Independent Retailers
The most important feedback we heard from retailers as we built our input financing offering was that they needed a no-recourse offering. So we partnered with Agri-Access®, a division of Compeer Financial, and Evergreen Bank Group, a division of Old Second National Bank (probably familiar to you if you’re in the Midwest) to fund our input financing program.
This means that you can make input financing available to your customers without any upfront investment. Further, if your customers default on their loans, you won’t be on the hook for payments.
Other key features designed specifically for independent retailers:
- Revolving line of credit: Our loans have a 12-month term. But if a farmer repays part of their loan within that term, they can access the portion they paid back to make additional purchases.
- Access to funds within 24 to 48 hours: After completing the quick online application, farmers get access to funds within 24 to 48 hours – which means you can get paid fast.
- Full payment is due at the end of the term: Loan payment is due after harvest, when it works for your customers.
In short, the offering is structured for retailers just like you. But it’s also customizable, so you can make it fit your precise needs.
Customizable to Suit Your Unique Situation
First and foremost: when you set up an input financing program though us, it will be fully branded to you. Your customers will see your logo and your company name. They’ll access it through your website or marketing materials. You’ll be the hero! (Oh, and they can only use the funds at your retail location(s.)
But on the backend, we’ll handle everything, from the tech setup to loan processing to collecting payment (to dealing with past-due balances, should that happen).
Beyond that, you’ll have the option to customize loan terms. If, for example, you’re in a position to buy down rates, you can do it to make your financing terms even more attractive to your customers.
Not sure what that might entail? We’d be happy to give you details and help you determine whether a buy-down makes sense for your current situation.
Easy to Set Up (2 Weeks, 3 Documents)
Purchasing season is almost here. But there’s plenty of time to set up an input financing offering for your customers. We built our program to be quick and easy to implement.
Once you determine the program is a fit, you only need to sign three documents to start the process. From there, we’ll handle setting up the background (including all the technology and branding) in just two weeks.
In other words, two weeks from today, your customers could be applying for an input financing loan branded to your business.
The process is so smooth because you, the retailer, are essentially only enabling the transfer of funds – you’ll be a sort of middleman. To your customers, though, your program won’t look any different from the ones they can access at major national brands. You’ll have the benefit of being the source of funds without having to do the work of building and managing the back end of the input financing program.
Make Your Vision of “In-House Financing” a Reality
The director of credit at Crop Life 20 retailer worked with our team to set up an input financing program for his customers.
“I was impressed with the team’s ability to make our vision of an ‘in-house financing’ option a reality,” he said, noting that our offering delivered all the necessary functionality in an aggressive timeline.
When you’re ready for a similar experience, get in touch. We’d love to help you set the stage for a profitable and prosperous 2026 purchasing season. We look forward to hearing from you!