When Rob and Hayley Coburn purchased their first farm three years ago, they knew they were in for a challenge. Transforming an ex-dairy property into a high-performing beef finishing operation in between Cohuna and Kerang, Victoria, was never going to be easy, but with a shared background in financial planning and livestock nutrition, they had the numbers and the vision. What they needed was the cash flow to match.
“We’re traders. We buy steers and heifers at around 450 to 550 kilograms and take them through to export weight in just 85 days,” Rob said.
“In the past year on our farm, we’ve scaled from 80 head on-farm to over 500 on feed at a time.”
Rob, who also works as a Senior Consultant with AIM Central, advising sheep, beef and dairy operations across Australia, knows how much farmers are feeling the pinch of rising input costs. With grain alone adding up to $30,000 a week – and rising – cash flow quickly became the biggest handbrake on their plans.
“We could prove we could make money, we just needed the funds to go after the opportunity,” Rob said.
“That’s when a client mentioned DelayPay.”
After making a call and speaking with Kelsey from the DelayPay team, Rob and Hayley quickly saw the value of a finance partner that truly understood agriculture. “It didn’t feel like dealing with a finance company – it felt like dealing with a mate. Kelsey took the time to understand our business, and Anton has even answered calls while overseas to make sure we were sorted.”
Hayley said the experience had been just as impactful.
“Using DelayPay has allowed us to grow much faster than we would have otherwise. It’s been a huge driver in helping us manage the cash flow needed to run a beef finishing block,” she said.
Now with more than $1 million worth of cattle on feed, the Coburns credit DelayPay with helping them turn a dream into a reality.
“They’ve been the biggest part in our growth over the past 12 months. Without them, we couldn’t have done it at this pace. It’s pretty special when a finance product actually helps you build the business you believe in.”