Services
Eight loan disciplines, one local broker. From Mildura citrus blocks to Mallee broadacre to Riverland vines, here's how we structure the finance.
Agribusiness lending is its own discipline. Income arrives at harvest or sale, not on a fortnightly wage cycle. Forward contracts, forecast yields, livestock movement and commodity prices all matter to how a deal is structured and how a lender will view it.
We work with ag-specialist lenders that understand the difference between a poor year and a poor business, and structure facilities that breathe with the season instead of clamping down at the worst possible time.
Buying a farm in the Sunraysia or Murray region is different from a residential loan. Valuations turn on land class, water entitlements, soil type and productive history, not just comparable sales. Lenders want to see how the asset will earn, not just what it might re-sell for.
We structure farm purchase lending with deposits, terms and security arrangements that respect rural reality, including blended residential and rural facilities where the homestead and the productive land are valued differently.
Rural lending varies by postcode. Some lenders cap LVRs sharply outside major centres, others specialise in regional security. We know which lender suits which postcode across Sunraysia, the Mallee, the Wimmera, the Riverland and South West NSW, and which valuer to instruct so you don't waste a fee on a deal that was never going to work.
Whether it's a lifestyle block on the Murray, a working farm in the wheat belt, or an irrigated horticulture operation, we map the right lender to the right property.
The Sunraysia is one of Australia's most significant horticulture regions: almonds, citrus, table grapes, vines, stone fruit. Permanent plantings are capital-intensive operations with long lead times before mature production. Add irrigation infrastructure, water entitlements and seasonal labour and the finance scenario needs patient lenders and long-tenor facilities.
We work with lenders that understand permanent plantings: what young plantings are worth, what mature ones earn, and how water entitlements support security.
Broadacre cropping, mixed cropping and livestock, sheep, cattle and grain. Dryland operators in the Mallee, Wimmera and NSW Riverina carry rainfall risk and price risk. A lender who hasn't lent in dryland country can underwrite that risk poorly.
We submit dryland deals to lenders that have lent through droughts and back, with structures that include offset accounts, seasonal repayment patterns and interest-only periods that match the calendar of a working farm.
Seasonal overdrafts, livestock lines, trade finance, fertiliser and chemical lines. Working capital is the lifeblood of an ag business between income events, and the structure matters as much as the rate.
We work with lenders that genuinely understand seasonal cash flow, so the limit is sized for the operation and the conditions don't unwind at the wrong point in the season.
Headers, tractors, utes, sprayers, irrigators, sheds, silos. Equipment finance is straightforward when it's structured well: chattel mortgage, hire purchase or lease, with terms and balloons set to match the asset's working life.
We compare asset financiers and bank-owned equipment lenders so the rate, term and end-of-term arrangement actually suit you, not the financier. We always recommend confirming the structure with your accountant before you sign.
Sometimes the original loan structure doesn't survive contact with reality. Too many short-term facilities, the wrong split between term debt and working capital, or a lender that's quietly drifted out of agribusiness lending.
We refinance and restructure with a clean head: consolidate where it makes sense, separate working capital from term debt, release equity for the next purchase, and align repayments with how the business actually earns.
Common questions
A short selection. The full FAQ — covering loan process, refinancing, documents and our service area — lives on the FAQ page.
Hardie Finance Group is a Mildura-based agribusiness finance broker covering the Sunraysia and Murray region. We work face to face within approximately 250km of Mildura — Wentworth, Robinvale, Swan Hill, Renmark, Berri and the surrounding Mallee, Wimmera and Riverland country.
Yes. Swan Hill is well within our face-to-face service area, alongside Kerang, Robinvale and the broader Murray Valley. Travel to your property is included for serious enquiries.
Yes. We regularly work with farmers in the Riverland region of South Australia, including Renmark and Berri. Cross-border lending is straightforward — we are accredited to assist clients nationally.
Typically two years of personal and business tax returns, current financials, an asset and liability statement, livestock or crop schedules, the contract of sale or asset details, and ID. The exact list depends on the lender and the deal — we'll give you a tailored checklist before submission.