At a time when inflation is causing many people to stretch their budgets so their dollars go further, Nutrien Financial is making it easier than ever for growers to access credit to help with purchasing inputs.
Streamlined credit application
Credit applications are notorious for their complexity. As with any business paperwork, pencil pushing through that the application process can be not only a nuisance, but daunting. But Nutrien Financial has intentionally streamlined the application process to alleviate some of the work that goes into a credit application. The Nutrien Financial Online Credit Application is shorter, faster, and easier to submit than it has been in the past. And many applicants will get a decision instantaneously, thanks to innovative automated decisioning capabilities.
“We’ve tried to streamline the questions we’re asking our customers to be more in line with what we really need to make a decision and to provide a quick response,” said Willie Linder, Nutrien Financial’s Director of Credit. “We also made the form itself more user-friendly so our customers don’t have to spend as much time completing the application.”
The process used to be two-steps: first, customers needed to complete a digital profile, then complete the application. While there are benefits to establishing a digital profile, we understand that time is of the essence, so to simplify the process, we’ve removed the requirement to establish a digital profile. Should a grower later decide they want access to things such as payment options, invoices, statements, and purchase history, they have the option to create that digital profile down the road.
How to apply for credit
There are a couple of ways to apply for credit with Nutrien Financial:
- The fastest option is to access the online credit application on Nutrien Financial’s webpage at nutrienfinancial.com and click the Apply with Ease Today button. At home or in your office is where you usually have access to all your financial records, which means you can apply when it is most convenient for you. This is a secure, quick, straightforward application with a handful of questions, which typically takes our online users less than 5 minutes to complete. Also, if you are needing assistance with your online application, we have experts available to help you every step of the way. Best of all, most of our online applications get an immediate decision, so you’ll know right away whether you qualify, and if you do, for how much.
- Another option is to pick up a paper application from one of our branches. This is a good option for someone who doesn’t have an email address or online access. If you pick up a paper application, you have the choice of completing it right there at the branch or you can fill it out and return it to the branch later. Once returned to your branch, your application will be emailed to our credit shared service center for a decision, which should come within a few days once it goes through the credit queue. If completing a paper application, it is important to pay attention to the required data fields to avoid prolonging the decision process.
Here are considerations to help you decide which credit application method might be best for you:
Online | In Store | |
Financial privacy (app directly from you to credit) | Yes | |
Long distance to nearest Nutrien retail location | Yes | |
Need an instant decision | Yes | |
Desire to access invoices and statements digitally | Yes | |
Need access to financial records | Yes | |
Prefer hands on credit application guidance | Yes | |
Avoid prolonging credit decision due to missing data | Yes |
|
No email address |
| Yes |
No internet | Yes |
What’s needed to apply
When most people think of applying for credit, they might imagine a tedious process like the back and forth involved in securing credit to purchase a car or home. But applying for a line of credit with Nutrien Financial is quite simple. Aside from your basic business info, here’s a list of a few other items that will help you breeze through our credit application.
- Business Entity Type
- Social security number or taxpayer ID
- For partnerships, names of the partners
- Years in operation and farm size
- Uploadable image of a government issued form of identification
- Preferred Nutrien branch and crop consultant
Depending on the size of your operation, you’ll also need to provide balance sheet, income and crop plan information.
“When running an applicant through credit, we’re basically looking at how they pay their bills and making sure there are no judgments or bankruptcies that come through on their credit report,” said Linder.
Financing for young growers
Even if you haven’t built up a credit profile, Nutrien Financial has mechanisms in place to help secure your financial foundation. Particularly for those who are deemed “credit invisible” or “unscorable” younger growers who may not have much of a credit history, approval is still possible.
As opposed to big banks that are more cautious in lending to those without a perfect credit rating, Nutrien Financial has steps that go beyond an algorithmic ranking. If you aren’t automatically approved or declined, your application goes to a credit manager to review, who takes into account your specific financial situation.
“Our goal has always been to see how we can find a way to do business as opposed to just a yes or a no,” said Linder. “There are many people who are credit invisible and they aren’t penalized in our system. We want to help them build a credit profile.”
By eliminating unnecessary fields on the application and trimming down the form itself, Nutrien Financial is helping farmers at every stage of their careers get to a “yes” to finance their inputs.
To get started on your credit application, head to NutrienFinancial.com or your local retail location.
