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Agricultural finance

Compare Farm Machinery Finance

What we do

Compare Advantage is a free comparison service for farms, estates and agricultural contractors. Tell us the machine and the price, and our partner, FCA-authorised broker Halo Corporate Finance, checks your enquiry against the 130+ lenders on its panel, including lenders that understand farm income. Compare what comes back with the dealer’s finance before you sign.

  • Tractors, combines, balers, sprayers and loaders
  • Dairy, livestock and precision farming kit
  • Ask for repayments that follow the farming year

Prefer to talk? Call 0330 057 7175

Aerial view of a green tractor ploughing a field, with gulls following it

What farm machinery do you need?

Free to enquire. No obligation to apply.

1 of 5
Amount needed

£75,000

£5,000£1,000,000

By sending this form you agree to our terms and conditions. We pass your details to Halo Corporate Finance Ltd so they can contact you about your enquiry. See our privacy policy.

Compare before you apply

Finance that fits the farming year

A farm’s income arrives in lumps: the harvest, the store cattle sale, the lamb trade, the monthly milk cheque. Standard monthly repayments ignore all of that. Some lenders understand farming well enough to shape the payments around when the money comes in, and that can matter as much as the rate. Comparing gives you the chance to find them, rather than taking the first agreement put in front of you at the machinery dealer.

  1. 1

    Tell us once

    Two minutes on the form: how much, what it is for and a few details about the business.

  2. 2

    The panel is checked

    Halo Corporate Finance matches your enquiry against the 130+ lenders on its panel.

  3. 3

    You choose

    Halo talks you through the options that fit. You decide whether to apply. There is no obligation.

What to compare

  • The dealer’s finance against the panel. Machinery dealers often have manufacturer finance on new kit. It can be competitive, but it is not the only offer, and it rarely covers used machines.
  • A repayment profile that fits your income, with larger payments after harvest, lambing or the milk cheque, and smaller ones in the lean months. Ask for it; not every agreement offers it.
  • New against used. A good used tractor from a known make holds its value well. The lender’s view of that value decides the term and deposit.
  • Timing against the season. Finance arranged in a hurry the week before drilling or silage has fewer options than finance agreed in the quiet months.
  • Any grant, and when it is paid, so the finance covers the gap between buying the kit and receiving the grant money.
Compare farm finance

The farming year

When to arrange finance, and when you will pay it

Machinery is needed in the busy months and paid for from the income months. Planning the finance around both makes the agreement easier to live with.

  1. Winter

    The planning months

    Workshop time, machinery shows and dealer offers. The best time to agree finance for the spring, without the pressure of a deadline.

  2. Spring

    Drilling and turnout

    Tractors, drills, sprayers and fertiliser spreaders are needed now. Cash is often at its lowest after winter feed and inputs.

  3. Summer

    Silage and harvest

    Mowers, balers, trailers and combines. Contractors and farms hiring in help may decide to buy instead.

  4. Autumn

    Harvest income

    Grain and stock sales bring money in. A seasonal agreement can take a larger payment now, when the business can most afford it.

Every farm is different. A dairy herd has steady monthly income; an arable farm may have one or two big payments a year. Tell us which, and the enquiry goes to lenders who can match it.

What you can finance

From the yard to the field

New and used, from dealers, farm sales, auctions and other farms.

  • Tractors

    From compact tractors for smallholdings and estates to high-horsepower machines for arable and contracting, new or used.

  • Harvesting and forage

    Combines, forage harvesters, mowers, rakes, balers and bale wrappers, the kit that has to work when the weather does.

  • Cultivation and drilling

    Ploughs, cultivators, drills, sprayers and spreaders, including precision kit with GPS guidance and section control.

  • Livestock and dairy

    Robotic and parlour milking systems, feeders, mixer wagons, handling systems and cattle crushes.

  • Grain and storage

    Grain dryers, bins, handling equipment and cold stores, where the lender may include installation.

  • Energy and diversification

    Solar, batteries and biomass, plus kit for farm shops, cafés, glamping and other ventures that earn alongside the farm.

Grants and finance

Using a grant and finance together

Grants can pay part of the cost of new kit, but they rarely pay for all of it, and the money does not always arrive when the machine does. Finance and grants often work side by side.

Defra’s Farming Equipment and Technology Fund 2026 closed to applications on 12 May 2026, and there is no round open now. Check GOV.UK for future rounds before you buy, because some grants will not pay for items bought before the grant is approved.

Check when the grant is paid

If it is paid after you buy and claim, you need the full amount up front. Finance can cover that gap, and any grant money received can reduce what you owe, if the agreement allows it.

Check settlement terms

If you plan to pay part of the agreement off early with the grant, ask the lender what that costs before you sign. Some charge for early settlement.

Farming in figures

A better year for farm incomes, a quieter one for tractors

Farm incomes recovered in 2025, while new tractor sales fell. That leaves more farms weighing a good used machine against a new one.

  • 212,000

    farm holdings in the UK in June 2025

  • £8.4bn

    Total Income from Farming in the UK in 2025, up 20.5% on 2024

  • 8,791

    new agricultural tractors registered in the UK in 2025, 14% fewer than in 2024

Sources: Defra, Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2025 and Total Income from Farming 2025; Agricultural Engineers Association, tractor registrations 2025.

Contractors

Agricultural contractors

Contractors run machines harder than most farms and replace them more often. Lenders will want to see the regular work, and a fleet with a mix of owned and financed machines is normal. Releasing cash from older, paid-off machines can fund the next one.

Diversification

Kit for new ventures

Farm shops, cafés, holiday lets and processing units need their own equipment: chillers, ovens, EPOS, vans. See our equipment finance and vehicle finance pages.

Fuel

Red diesel still applies

Since April 2022, most businesses have lost the right to use rebated red diesel, including construction. Agriculture, horticulture, fish farming and forestry kept it, which keeps running costs lower for farm machinery than for the same machine on a building site.

Before you enquire

What lenders want to see from a farm

  • The machine, its age and hours, and the dealer’s or seller’s price
  • Your latest farm accounts, or two years if you have them
  • How and when income arrives: monthly, quarterly or seasonal
  • Machinery you already own, and finance already on it
  • Any grant awarded, and when it will be paid
  • Whether you farm owned land, rented land or both

For how hire purchase and leasing differ on tax and ownership, read our hire purchase vs finance lease guide.

Questions

Farm finance questions

Building a new yard or buying a telehandler? See plant and machinery finance.

Compare farm finance

What is farm machinery finance?

It is asset finance for tractors and agricultural equipment. A lender buys the machine, or lends against it, and the farm pays it back over an agreed term. The machine secures the agreement.

Can repayments be seasonal?

Some lenders can set repayments around the farm’s income, for example quarterly, or with larger payments after harvest and smaller ones in spring. Say so in the enquiry and Halo will look for lenders that offer it.

Can I finance a used tractor?

Yes. Used tractors from popular makes hold their value well and are widely financed. The lender will look at age, hours, condition and where you are buying it from, whether a dealer, a farm sale or an auction.

Can I finance machinery bought at a farm sale or auction?

Often, yes, but get approved first. Sale terms usually need payment quickly, so agree a maximum with the lender before the sale day.

Are there grants for farm equipment?

Defra’s Farming Equipment and Technology Fund 2026 closed to applications on 12 May 2026, and no round is open now. Check GOV.UK for future rounds. If you win a grant that is paid after you buy, finance can cover the cost until the money arrives.

Can agricultural contractors get finance?

Yes. Contractors are among the biggest buyers of farm machinery. Lenders will want to see the regular work, such as contracts or repeat customers, and the existing fleet.

Can I raise cash against machinery I already own?

Yes. Asset refinance releases cash against tractors and equipment you own outright, while you keep using them. Farms use it for working capital, a new machine’s deposit or a tax bill. Choose Release cash from machinery I own on the form.

Can I still use red diesel in farm machinery?

Yes. Agriculture, horticulture, fish farming and forestry kept the right to use rebated red diesel after the April 2022 changes, which removed it from most other uses, including construction.

Do I claim capital allowances on farm machinery?

On hire purchase, the farm business is treated as the owner for tax and can usually claim the Annual Investment Allowance of up to £1 million a year. From January 2026, unincorporated farms can also claim a 40% first-year allowance on new machinery. Your accountant can confirm the best route.

Can you finance land or buildings?

Not on this page. Land and farm buildings are funded with mortgages and property loans rather than asset finance. For working capital, see our small business loans page.

Sources

Written by the Compare Advantage team, Chorley. Facts checked against the sources above on 4 November 2026. This page is general information, not financial advice.

Compare Advantage Ltd (FRN 1028452, company no. 14289362) is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Halo Corporate Finance Ltd (FRN 726655). We introduce business finance enquiries to Halo. We are not a lender and do not give financial advice. If you take out finance, the lender may pay commission to Halo Corporate Finance, and Halo may pay us a fee for the introduction. Finance is subject to status and is available to UK businesses only.