Funding for grain storage projects, from bolted steel silos and ventilated floor systems through to the handling equipment inside a new store building.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Yes, but a grain store is usually two different funding jobs rather than one. Bolted steel silos, ventilation and floor systems, conveyors, elevators and temperature monitoring are equipment and can go on asset finance. The building shell itself, being fixed to the land, is generally funded by a mortgage or a loan secured on the farm rather than on hire purchase. Splitting the project this way is normal and often cheaper than trying to force the whole thing down one route. Get the supplier to quote the equipment separately from the construction so the two halves can be funded properly.
Used kit: Yes for silos and handling plant; building structures are funded differently
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
Business asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what this shows — with the equivalent APR underneath, because the two are not the same number. A quick guide only; your actual rate depends on the asset, term, deposit and lender.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 6.0% flat rate (equivalent to 11.5% APR representative), you would repay around £646 a month; total amount repayable approximately £31,000, of which £6,000 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. CW Asset Finance is an Appointed Representative of Rural Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 630701).
This is the point where asset finance and land-secured lending meet, and knowing which part goes where is most of the value. Asset funders will write the plant: silos, conveyors, aeration, cleaners and control systems all have identifiable value and can be recovered. They will not generally lend against a portal frame building, because once erected it belongs to the land. On tenanted or mortgaged holdings a waiver from the landlord or the lender holding the charge is normally required before equipment is installed. Underwriting looks at the farm accounts, acreage and the case for storing rather than the resale of the kit. Repayments are usually shaped around post-harvest grain sales, and a funder will want to see the project properly costed.
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| Martin Lishman aeration pedestals | Ventilation pedestals for floor stores |
| Martin Lishman temperature monitoring | Store temperature and moisture monitoring |
| Kongskilde grain ventilation fans | Fans for cooling stored grain |
| Bentall Rowlands flat bottom silos | Galvanised on-farm storage silos |
| Bentall Rowlands hopper bottom silos | Self-emptying silos for grain and feed |
| Collinson storage silos | Farm silos for grain and meal |
| Sukup grain bins | Large diameter grain storage bins |
| Perry of Oakley belt conveyors | Gentle handling for seed and grain |
| Skandia Elevator chain conveyors | Intake and distribution conveying |
| Shufflebottom steel portal frames | Steel framed grain store buildings |
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
Arable farms that have outgrown their storage and are selling grain off the combine at the worst price of the year, growers moving into contract storage for neighbours, and farms upgrading to meet assurance and pest control expectations on older, poorly ventilated buildings. The trigger is commonly a harvest where grain had to be sold immediately for want of anywhere to put it, or a merchant raising concerns about the condition of an existing store.
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
We publish the deals we arrange, with no client named and no rate quoted. See what we have funded in agriculture.
Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
Rarely, and it is usually not the cheapest way anyway. The equipment goes on asset finance and the building shell goes on a mortgage or a loan secured on the farm. Splitting it lets each part sit with the right kind of funder. We arrange the equipment side and can work alongside whoever is handling the building.
Generally yes, because a bolted silo can be dismantled and moved, which keeps it identifiable as equipment rather than part of the land. Funders still want to know it is properly based and installed. This is one of the clearest examples of where the distinction between equipment and fixture genuinely matters.
You need it before work starts, and a funder will usually want confirmation it is in place or that the works fall within permitted development. There is no sense in drawing down finance for a store that cannot be built. Get the planning position settled first and the funding falls into place behind it.
Yes, and that income strengthens the case. Contract storage produces evidenced, repeating revenue, which is exactly what an underwriter wants to see supporting a fixed investment. Bring the storage agreements or a history of the income when the application is put together.
Then the bank holding the charge will normally need to sign a waiver confirming the installed equipment belongs to the asset funder until it is paid for. It is a routine document but it takes time to get through a bank, so start that conversation as soon as the project is agreed rather than the week before installation.
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
See everything we fund in rural and agricultural finance →
Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
Prefer to talk? Call 07581 364281 · serving Leeds, York, Harrogate, Wakefield, Selby, Tadcaster & across North & West Yorkshire.
Machinery, livestock and land — each with its own page, because each is assessed differently.