How we make money: The Business Funding Club is a referral service, not a lender and not a broker. We refer businesses that ask for capital to ROK Financial. ROK and the lenders it matches you with make every funding decision. ROK pays us when a business we refer receives funding. It is free to you, and nothing here is an offer of credit. Read the full disclosure.

Illustration of a tractor, combine header and planter at a rural equipment yard at dusk

For farms buying equipment

The planter has to be in the field this spring. The crop it plants pays you next fall.

A tractor, combine or grain system works for many seasons, but the bill lands in one. The Business Funding Club is a free referral club, not a lender. We send your equipment request to ROK Financial. ROK and the lenders it matches you with review it and make every funding decision.

Start your application

A referral club, free to apply. ROK Financial and its lenders review every request and make all funding decisions. How we’re compensated.

Prefer to go straight to the funder? You can apply on ROK's own site. It carries our referral ID.

The math

The math on one machine

  1. WINTER

    You get the quote

    The old planter or combine is done, or the operation has outgrown it. You get a quote while spring's operating budget is already spoken for.

  2. SPRING TO SUMMER

    The machine goes to work

    It has to be ready for the planting or haying window, while seed, fertilizer, fuel and rent go out too.

  3. FALL

    The crop sells

    Harvest income arrives, or the grain goes in the bin. That is one year's return on a machine built to run many more.

  4. YEARS AFTER

    It keeps earning

    The same machine works season after season. Financing spreads the cost over those years.

In 2024, U.S. farms spent $21.0 billion on tractors and self-propelled machinery, $8.3 billion on other farm machinery and $24.0 billion on farm supplies and repairs[1]. Paying cash for a combine in the same year you buy inputs can starve the operating side. Financing the machine is a planning choice, not a rescue.

By Marcus L. Barber, Publisher · Reviewed by Marcus before publishing · Updated · How we write and check facts

What farm equipment financing can cover

ROK describes equipment financing as usable for almost any tangible business asset[2]. On a farm, requests usually fall into these groups.

Common farm equipment requests and what a reviewer will want to know
EquipmentExamplesHave ready
TractorsRow-crop, utility and 4WD tractors, skid steersMake, model, year, hours, serial number
HarvestCombines, headers, balers, grain cartsEngine and separator hours, what it replaces
Planting and sprayingPlanters, drills, sprayers, spreadersWidth or row count, acres covered
Grain handlingBins, dryers, augers, legsInstalled cost, bushel capacity
Livestock and irrigationChutes, feed mixers, pivots, pumpsSupplier quote, head or acres served

With a loan, you own the equipment once it is repaid. With a lease, the lender holds ownership while you pay for its use, often as lease-to-own[2]. More on both at equipment financing.

Equipment financing is not an operating loan

An operating loan or line covers the season: seed, fertilizer, fuel, rent and labor, repaid when the crop or cattle sell. Equipment financing is tied to one machine that lasts for years. Keep them separate. A combine paid out of operating money can leave next spring's inputs short. A line of credit is one tool for the operating side.

In the second quarter of 2026, commercial banks reported lower farm lending for most purposes, except machinery and equipment loans, which rose by more than 50 percent from recent years[3]. Farm incomes stayed subdued and credit conditions kept tightening gradually[4], so a complete request matters.

New or used, dealer or private sale, and when to buy

Used equipment. Much farm iron changes hands used, through dealers, neighbors, consignment sales and online auctions. The reviewer cannot see the machine, so the paperwork has to: serial number, hours, photos, repair records and a written quote or bill of sale.

Dealer quotes. Many dealers offer their own financing on new machines. Compare it with other options on the same quote: total cost, what is due up front, early payoff, and when payments fall. A schedule that matches when you sell can matter as much as the cost.

Timing. A planter that arrives after the planting window earns nothing this year. Starting the request in the off-season leaves time for quotes, review and delivery.

Taxes. IRS Publication 225, the Farmer's Tax Guide, covers depreciation, including farm property recovery periods and the section 179 deduction[5]. Ask your tax preparer how a purchase applies to you. The Club does not give tax advice.

USDA FSA has its own programs. Know them.

The USDA Farm Service Agency lends directly and backs loans made by commercial lenders. These public programs are separate from ROK.

  • Operating loans: eligible uses include farm equipment, livestock, feed, seed and fuel. Applicants must show they cannot get credit elsewhere at reasonable rates and terms, among other requirements[6].
  • Microloans: for new, niche and small to mid-sized family farms, and usable for equipment[7].
  • Farm Storage Facility Loans: grain bins, hay barns, bulk tanks, cold storage, and drying and handling equipment, new or used[8].
  • Backed loans: made and serviced by banks, Farm Credit System institutions and credit unions. A local FSA office has a list of participating lenders[9].

ROK is not FSA

ROK Financial does not run FSA programs, and neither does the Club. If one fits, apply with FSA directly.

What ROK will want to see for an equipment request

ROK's partner application lists at least 4 months in business and $10,000 or more in monthly gross sales, which is $120,000 a year[10]. Lenders commonly review:

  • The dealer or seller quote: make, model, year, hours, serial number and price
  • Photos and condition notes for used equipment
  • What the machine replaces, or the acres or head it adds
  • Bank statements for a full production year, so harvest or sale months show
  • Recent business tax returns and a list of current debts, including equipment already financed

ROK and its lenders decide what they need and whether to fund. For the wider farm picture, see agriculture, or map your timing with the cash gap calculator.

Financing that fits this kind of gap

Which one fits your business, if any, is a conversation to have with ROK’s advisor once they have seen your file. These are the types that usually come up.

Common questions

Is this for a farm business or for a lawn tractor at home?

This page is for a farm, ranch or ag business buying equipment it uses to produce and sell. ROK Financial works with businesses. It does not offer consumer financing for a homeowner's riding mower or hobby tractor, and the Club cannot refer that kind of request. ROK's partner application lists at least 4 months in business and $10,000 or more in monthly gross sales[10].

Can I finance a machine I buy at auction or from a neighbor?

Ask before you commit. The reviewer cannot inspect the machine, so the paperwork does the job: a written bill of sale or quote with serial number, hours and price, plus photos and repair records. At an auction, find out how a financed purchase would be handled before you bid, since sale terms may require prompt payment.

Can I finance grain bins or irrigation, not just rolling equipment?

Ask ROK, which describes equipment financing as usable for almost any tangible business asset[2]. A bin site or pivot is often a multi-part project, so a term loan may fit better. FSA's Farm Storage Facility Loans also cover bins and drying and handling equipment[8].

Does The Business Funding Club make farm equipment loans?

No. The Business Funding Club is a free referral club. We send your request to ROK Financial. ROK and the lenders it matches you with review every request and make every funding decision. ROK pays Digital Solomon, which runs the Club, when a referred business is funded. You never pay the Club anything, and applying commits you to nothing.

Sources

  1. U.S. Farm Production Expenditures, 2024 (Highlights) USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, checked October 16, 2026
  2. Get Equipment Financing For Your Small Business ROK Financial, checked October 16, 2026
  3. New Farm Loan Originations Ease Slightly Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, checked October 16, 2026
  4. Steady Tightening of Agricultural Credit Conditions Persists (Agricultural Credit Survey, Q2 2026) Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, checked October 16, 2026
  5. Publication 225, Farmer's Tax Guide Internal Revenue Service, checked October 16, 2026
  6. Farm Operating Loans USDA Farm Service Agency, checked October 16, 2026
  7. Microloans (fact sheet, October 2024) USDA Farm Service Agency, checked October 16, 2026
  8. Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) Program USDA Farm Service Agency, checked October 16, 2026
  9. Farm Loans Overview (fact sheet, October 2025) USDA Farm Service Agency, checked October 16, 2026
  10. Business Financing application (ROK Financial partner page) ROK Financial, checked October 16, 2026
  11. Revolving Business Line of Credit ROK Financial, checked October 16, 2026

Before you start

What ROK looks for.

Stated plainly so you don’t spend time on a form that isn’t built for your business yet. These are the minimums ROK lists on its partner application. Meeting them is the starting line, not a decision.

  • 4 monthsminimum time in business
  • $10,000minimum monthly gross sales
  • U.S.based and operating

Credit history is one input among several. ROK reviews the whole picture: revenue, deposits, time in business, and what the money is for. What to have ready.

Start your application

A referral club, free to apply. ROK Financial and its lenders review every request and make all funding decisions. How we’re compensated.

Prefer to go straight to the funder? You can apply on ROK's own site. It carries our referral ID.

Plainly

What we are, and what we are not.

We are a referral club. We introduce small businesses to ROK Financial. That's the whole service, and it's free to you.

We are not a lender and not a broker. We don't fund anything, we don't quote figures, and we don't negotiate on your behalf. If someone tells you what your financing will look like before ROK has reviewed your file, that person is guessing.

We are paid by ROK, not by you. When a business we refer gets funded, ROK compensates us. You are never charged a membership fee or an application fee, by us or by anyone acting for us. Full disclosure here.