“I love talking farming with farming folk!”

“I CAN’T be doing with sitting inside,” says Adam Kershaw. “I’m an outdoor person, I love living in the countryside and walking in the hills. And I really enjoy meeting folk and talking farming!”

It’s not surprising Adam enjoys his work – he’s northern regional sales manager for Rural Asset Finance, a specialist direct lender to Britain’s farmers for everything from machinery, equipment and buildings to vast diversification initiatives and renewable energy projects. “I love being with farming folk,” he adds. “Sharing stories – speaking the same language.”

Because although Adam has impressive experience in accountancy and 10 years’ experience in agricultural sales – “everything from feed and fertilisers to machinery” – he also understands farm life. “My wife and I ran a 250-cow dairy unit,” he says. “I also regularly help on her parents’ mixed farm of dairy, sheep and cropping.”

He’s not alone. Most of Rural Asset Finance’s team come from farming families – so truly understand the day-to-day challenges and the cashflow ups and downs. “We don’t feed your figures into a hard drive and tell you ‘computer says no’,” says Adam. “We learn what you’re trying to achieve and work with you.”

Lancashire-born dad-of-two Adam lives in the south Lakes, near Kendal, and supports farmers across the north of England and Scotland – so knows every farm business and situation is different. “We don’t do tick-boxes,” he says. “We take a friendly approach – we look at your individual set-up to understand how it works. Then we try finding the best way of financing the future you want.”

No project is too big or small. As a direct lender, Rural Asset Finance can be flexible in providing the most suitable business loans alongside equipment financing facilities for each individual customer.

“Diversification is huge right now,” says Adam. “Whether that’s tourism or businesses that add value or sell produce direct to customers – milkshake vending machines, cake huts. Farmers have such great ideas. And if customers own land or equipment assets already, we can use them as security for new loans.”

Another advantage is the company’s in-house, one-stop shop of funds management, credit and legal departments. Importantly, the whole team at Rural Asset Management Services is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority as a direct lender of its own funds and an FCA-authorised broker for a panel of well-known lenders – so farmers can trust it to treat customers fairly according to the FCA’s Consumer Duty guidelines.

And above all that, Rural Asset Finance prides itself on customer service. “We meet people and build friendly relationships where they can call us, get straight through and we’re immediately on the same page,” says Adam. “It all comes back to talking farming – with people who really get it.”