By Brian Hefty
If you are going to use a finance program, we encourage you to do it immediately. Many companies have zero percent offers, so it doesn’t matter if you buy in December or April. However, your retailer will charge you the December price in December and the April price in April. Since you pay no interest, why not order now, start the financing program, and pay less for your products?
Below, I will give you a few highlights of some of the finance offers available for you right now. This is certainly not a complete list, and I encourage you to talk to your retailer and attend one of our Winter Agronomy Workshops for more details.
BASF – 0% on purchases through September 30, due next fall. $10,000 minimum. Minimum of 2 products ($2000 min/product). Most BASF crop protection products are included, such as Headline, Priaxor, Verdict, Sharpen, Prowl, and many more.
Bayer – 0% on purchases through July 31, due next fall. $10,000 minimum. Minimum of 2 products ($1000 min/product). Most Bayer crop protection products are included, such as Balance Flexx, Capreno, Huskie, Liberty, Wolverine Advanced, and many more.
Dow – 0% on purchases through April 20, due in November on Mycogen Seed. Minimum $7500.
FMC – 0% on purchases through January 31. At $10,000+, due in December. At $5000 – $10,000, prime interest begins April 1. Certain other minimums apply. Most FMC crop protection products are included, such as Anthem brands, Authority brands, Cadet, Capture LFR, Spartan brands, and more.
Monsanto – Seed and crop protection finance offers vary depending on region and product, but many different finance programs are available.
Syngenta – 0% on purchases through August 31, due in December. $10,000 minimum. The only eligible products are Quadris, Quadris Top SB, Quilt, Quilt Xcel, Endigo ZC, and Warrior. Syngenta does have several other seed and crop protection financing offers ranging from 0% to prime interest rate on purchases as low as $3500.
PLEASE NOTE – Most of the financing offers above have no cost to you and no cost to your retailer. In other words, why would you not use them, even if you don’t need financing? However, there are many other financing offers from seed companies or retailers that DO effectively raise your costs, usually in the form of reduced or no cash discount. Make sure you ask first and know what you’re getting. Keep in mind, too, that local banks have extremely low interest rates right now, and many would love to loan you more money. Don’t laugh. Banks are sitting on lots of cash right now, looking for a good place to invest it. Ag is stable with solid assets, so many banks have attractive rates and can increase your credit line if you talk to them. What I’m saying is make sure you are getting the best financing deal, and that may just be with your local bank.