Dairy Farms
Dairy farms rely on milking equipment, feed mixers, tractors, and forage harvesters that run 365 days a year. We refinance and finance dairy equipment with.
Milk check comes every two weeks, and that's one of the things dairy producers have that most other farm operators don't. The flip side is that the equipment never stops either. A parlor that needs a pump, a TMR wagon with a broken auger, or a forage harvester that goes down in the middle of second-cut alfalfa, these aren't situations where you wait a week for a financing decision. Dairy is a seven-day-a-week business and the financing behind it needs to respect that pace.
We work with dairy operations across Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, New York, Pennsylvania, Idaho, and California. Herd sizes from 200 to 5,000 cows, parlor setups from tie-stall to rotary, and equipment needs from individual machine replacement to whole-facility retrofits. The transactions tend to run costing on the order of $100k to $500k for major milking or forage equipment, though smaller deals above $50,000 also work.
Dairy producers who refinance existing equipment notes often find they can free up meaningful monthly cash flow during the stretches when milk prices are soft and feed costs are running. That monthly breathing room matters on a dairy where operating expenses are high every single month.
Dairy Equipment We Finance
The equipment list for a dairy operation covers two main areas: the milking and handling systems inside the barn, and the forage and feed equipment in the field and the lot.
Milking equipment and parlor systems. Dairy and milking equipment ranges from single-unit milking machines for smaller herds to large rotary parlors with automatic detachers, milk cooling, and automated handling systems for large dairies. Automated milking systems (robotic milking units) have become increasingly common on family-sized dairies and carry significant capital cost. All of these qualify for financing.
Feed mixers. TMR wagons and feed mixers are central to modern dairy nutrition. A vertical or horizontal mixer wagon that handles 30 to 80 cubic yards makes dozens of runs through the feed alley every week. These machines wear and need replacement on a regular cycle, making them a steady part of dairy equipment financing.
Forage harvesters. Most large dairies harvest their own corn silage and haylage using self-propelled forage harvesters. These machines carry some of the highest per-unit prices in the farm equipment category and represent a significant capital investment for any operation that can justify owning one.
Tractors and loaders. Dairy operations need Tractors for a range of tasks including silage pile management, feedbunk pushup, bedding handling, and field work. Loader tractors and skid steers see daily use in most facilities.
Balers and mowing equipment. Dairies that put up dry hay in addition to haylage run Balers and mowers and conditioners during the summer months. These are often mid-range purchases that work as standalone financing transactions.
Farm Operations
Agribusiness & Co-Ops
Agribusinesses and agricultural co-ops run equipment that serves both their own operations and their member producers. We finance and.
Cotton Farms
Cotton producers carry some of the highest per-acre equipment costs in American agriculture. We finance and refinance pickers, strippers.
Farm Equipment Dealers
Farm equipment dealers can offer customers alternative financing paths through us when manufacturer finance doesn't fit. We work with.
Refinancing and Liquidity Tools for Dairies
Dairy operations that have been running for 10 or 20 years often have paid-off equipment that represents real capital sitting idle in the balance sheet. A parlor pump system or a forage harvester that was bought and paid for over time is worth money, and that value can be converted to cash without disrupting the operation.
Sale-leaseback financing is a tool we use often with dairy producers. The dairy sells a paid-off piece of equipment to us, receives a cash payment, and leases it back at a monthly rate that fits the operating budget. The machine stays in the milk room or the field. The cash goes to wherever the operation needs it, whether that's feed bills, building repairs, or making it through a stretch of soft milk prices.
Refinancing existing dairy equipment notes can lower the monthly payment if the original terms were tighter than necessary. With a bi-monthly milk check providing steady cash flow, some dairy producers opt for shorter terms to pay off equipment faster. Others find that longer terms during price downturns relieve pressure without changing the underlying asset situation.
Dairy operations in Wisconsin, western Wisconsin, and across the upper Midwest carry among the highest equipment-to-acre ratios in American agriculture. Managing that capital well is a competitive advantage over the long run.
Farm Refinance Questions
Yes. Automated milking systems are a significant and growing category of dairy equipment financing. The capital cost is substantial, which makes them a good fit for structured equipment financing rather than cash purchase. We work with these transactions and understand the ROI model behind them.
Payment frequency can sometimes be structured to match bi-monthly or monthly cycles depending on the deal. Talk to us about the timing and we'll see what fits best for your cash flow.
Yes. Milk price volatility is a known part of the dairy business and we account for it. B and C credit is considered, particularly when the operation has real assets and the credit issue is tied to a period of industry-wide price pressure rather than a management problem.
Yes, as long as there's equity in the machine above what you owe. We can pay off the existing note and restructure the balance on terms that work better for the operation.
The key factor is the transaction size, not the herd size. The minimum deal is $50,000. A 150-cow dairy buying a TMR wagon or refinancing a parlor system will easily reach that threshold.
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