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In ag retail, profit margins already feel tight. Inventory is expensive. Overhead runs high. And while you’ve likely optimized many areas of your operation, there’s one overlooked bottleneck that silently drains your cash: how you get paid.
Delayed, unclear, and outdated payment methods aren’t just an inconvenience—they directly hurt your cash flow, limit your flexibility, and create unnecessary friction with your farmers. Receivables will be something all retailers should look closer at in a tighter farmer economy.
“Bushel has been instrumental in streamlining our payment process. Since implementing their payment solution, we’ve received customer payments anywhere from 7-10 days sooner than payment with a paper check. We anticipate even more efficiency once the remainder of our customers have been onboarded and solely paying with Bushel.” -Amy Woodward, Operations Manager at American AGCO Trading Company
Let’s walk through the three big payment problems hurting ag retailers today—and the upside waiting when you fix them.
Many ag retailers still mail invoices and wait on paper checks. That creates a chain reaction of delays:
From our latest State of the Farm survey, the data is clear: 62% of farmers under 40 prefer digital fund transfers.
If you're still relying on checks, you're not just slowing down cash flow—you’re making the experience worse for your customers.
When payment data lives in different systems—some in email, some in spreadsheets, some on paper—it’s nearly impossible to answer:
You’re constantly reacting instead of proactively managing receivables. And your team spends hours chasing down information that should be instantly available.
Digital payment tools help consolidate invoice, payment, and status data in one place—so you know what’s paid, what’s past due, and what needs attention.
Most ag retailers don’t measure DSO often—but they should. Why? Because it directly affects your working capital.
Retailers using Bushel Pay see an average 37% reduction in DSO. That means money moves into your account faster—often by weeks.
Let’s say your average DSO is 35 days. With digital payments, that drops to 22 days. Now imagine the financial difference when you multiply those 13 days across every invoice.
Faster cash flow gives you more flexibility:
When you pair faster payments with a Bushel Business Account, provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. Member FDIC, your funds don’t just sit idle—your balance grows!* If your current payment lag is costing you time and money, a Bushel Business Account is the solution for you.
Use this formula to estimate the working capital you’d release with just a 13-day improvement:
((Annual Revenue ÷ 365) × 13 Days) = Working Capital Released
Example:
Annual revenue = $50 million
13-day DSO improvement = $1.78 million in working capital unlocked
That’s money that stays in your business—not floating in limbo.
Ready to see how much faster payments can improve your bottom line?
How much working capital is released when you reduce DSO by 13 days:
Working Capital Released=(Annual Revenue/365)*13
Digital payments aren’t just a tech upgrade—they’re a financial strategy.
You’ve already earned the sale—now it’s time to get paid faster. Chat with our team on how a simple way to improve your DSO.
Bushel is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services for the Bushel Business Account are provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.
Opinions, advice, services, or other information or content expressed or contributed here by customers, users, or others, are those of the respective author(s) or contributor(s) and do not necessarily state or reflect those of The Bancorp Bank, N.A. (“Bank”). Bank is not responsible for the accuracy of any content provided by author(s) or contributor(s).
*The interest rate for the Bushel Business Account is variable and may change at any time.
