Growing a farm means making major investment decisions that commit the business for 10, 15 or 20 years. Whether you are expanding the farmed area, building a new livestock building, buying state-of-the-art equipment, diversifying into a new sector or investing in energy equipment, every development project deserves a financing strategy that matches its ambition.
Agricourtage supports farmers through every growth phase of their business. Our role isn't just to find a loan: we analyse the overall consistency of your development project, assess its bankability and build an optimised financing plan, combining the right funding sources at the right time, with the right security. Since 2018, we have supported dozens of farms with their development projects, across all sectors and throughout France.
Why does farm development need tailored financing?
A development project isn't just a loan to land: it's a balancing act between ambition, financial capacity and acceptable risk. A poorly sized investment — too big, too fast or badly financed — can weaken a farm that was doing very well. Conversely, an under-financed project will never deliver the expected returns.
Agricourtage gives you an independent, expert view of your capacity to grow. We analyse your EBITDA (EBE), debt ratios, self-financing capacity and the project's bankability before building the most suitable financing structure. This approach protects you as much as it helps you convince lenders.
The main types of development project we finance
Expanding your land
Buying more land to expand the farmed area is one of the most common investments at the growth stage. Depending on the size of the plots, their location and the intended form of ownership, financing solutions vary considerably. Agricourtage structures these purchases in line with the farm's existing balance sheet, making sure the debt ratios stay balanced over the long term.
Building and renovating farm buildings
Cattle sheds, milking parlours, storage barns, dryers, processing buildings: buildings are often the largest items in a development project. Their long financing terms (15 to 20 years) and the regional or EU grants that may be available (EAFRD / FEADER, sector plans) make them complex files that need rigorous structuring.
Buying machinery and equipment
Renewing or adding to your machinery is often part and parcel of a development project. The challenge is to choose between buying, leasing and contract hire according to the farm's tax position, the equipment's lifespan and your balance-sheet strategy. Agricourtage optimises these choices so that each equipment investment is financially consistent with the whole development plan.
Diversification and new sectors
Adding a processing unit, starting direct sales, converting to organic production, developing agritourism or installing solar panels: diversification creates new income streams but needs specific financing, often a mix of business loans, grants and sometimes crowdfunding. Agricourtage assesses the bankability of each diversification and builds the right package.
Energy investment and the agro-ecological transition
Solar PV (agrivoltaics, building roofs), anaerobic digestion, water-efficient irrigation or agroforestry projects often benefit from specific financing schemes and dedicated grants. They also carry a particular risk profile — energy income contracted over the long term — which banks assess differently from standard farm investments. Agricourtage knows these specifics inside out.
How does Agricourtage assess the feasibility of your development project?
Before approaching any lender, we carry out a full feasibility analysis:
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Economic analysis: review of current EBITDA (EBE), simulation of projected post-investment EBITDA, calculation of the additional repayment capacity available
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Balance-sheet analysis: debt ratios, equity and available security
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Project analysis: consistency with the farm's strategy, payback period, identified risks
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Grant review: identifying the regional, EU and sector grants your project is eligible for
This preliminary analysis is the foundation of your financing file. It lets us present your project to banks with a solid, well-argued and credible file.
Funding sources for a development project
A farm development project is rarely financed from a single source. Agricourtage combines the available resources in the best way:
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Medium- and long-term bank loans for major investments (land, buildings)
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Leasing and contract hire for equipment, depending on the tax benefit
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Regional and EU grants (EAFRD / FEADER, sector grants, energy transition plans)
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Sector-specific subsidised loans, depending on the sector and area
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Crowdfunding as a complement, to strengthen equity and build a network of supporters
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Land lease-to-buy where borrowing capacity is already stretched