Farms in the eastern Riverina, NSW, will supply stock for Provenir

Farmers from a group of properties in the area have signed up to supply Provenir with its first cattle.

Gill Sanbrook, Bibbaringa, said she was among a group of farmers, under the banner '8 Families', who were practising regenerative farming, to produce beef, lamb and eggs.

"It's ideal for us; we'll supply grass fed, no hormones, no antibiotic stock," Ms Sanbrook said.

"I'll be supplying 600 kilogram Angus and Hereford steers."

Bibbaringa is 950 hectares and runs between 300 and 500 cows and adult cattle on native and improved grasslands.

Read more: Gillian Sanbrook describes the regeneration of Wymah Valley property, Bibbaringa.

"All the dynamics appear to be in place, so we are trying to produce some ethically grown meat and taking it to the next step.

"We want to produce good, clean meat, which can be traced back to the farm."

Ms Sanbrook said she had been supplying JBS, Greenhams or feedlots, with cattle she had brought onto the property and grown out.

She said Provenir had agreed to run its first trial at the Riverina properties and she'd be supplying 12 animals.

"There are not a lot of people with finished steers around, I have held onto these specifically for the trial," she said.

"It would be great if they did 100 per cent of our stock, but it's just small steps for mankind, at the moment.

"Within our group, we have the capacity for 6500 breeding cows, producing a lot of stock, all on regenerative farms."

Ms Sanbrook said she believed Provenir's system would get better yields from the stock, as they would not be stressed from transport.

'It's a win-win for everyone," she said.

"It'll never replace abattoirs, but it will satisfy the customer who wants to know where their cattle have come from and wants to buy an ethically processed beast.

"They are a small, but growing, percentage of customers."

She said regenerative agriculture was "on the move", and what conscious consumers were asking for.

Nick Austin, Mundarlo, north of Holbrook, said he hoped to supply about 25 Angus-cross steers and older heifers for the trial.

"We thought of marketing our own beef, as a group, but once we got into the logistics side of it, we thought it was too difficult," Mr Austin said.

"We put it on the backburner

"Then Phil Larwill (one of Provenir's founders) rang one our members, and we thought 'wow' what a great idea, and got onboard.

"We raise our cattle as best we can, but as soon as they go on a truck to the abattoir, we lose control."

He said he was currently supplying an abattoir in Gippsland, or feedlots.

"Putting them on a truck means the meat quality is going to be affected, removing trucking out of the equation also means no yard fees.

"It's also supplying a company, I think, will do a wonderful job of supplying clean, grass-fed beef to consumers."

He said there was only a small price premium, when using Provenir's system.

"That's not the reason I'm supplying Provenir," he said.

"For me, it's just supporting a company that can sell grass-fed beef, which we know has been handled properly, to the consumer."

Read more: Provenir agtech crowdfunding open

Provenir raised nearly $70,000 through its crowdfunding campaign, launched in late April.

When the crowdfunding campaign closed, 298 people had pledged $68,166 to the startup.

Provenir co-founder Jayne Newgreen said many supporters had thrown their weight behind the crowdfunding campaign by becoming customers and pre-purchasing meat packs.

"Provenir's crowdfunding campaign is not a marketing gimmick, rather it's a really important part of our business plan ensures the viability of the consumer-driven demand for Provenir's products," Ms Newgreen said.

Delivery of the company's first highest welfare meat packs, pre-sold via the campaign, is expected to take place by the end of July.

Meat, processed in the Riverina, will then be transported and prepared at a Bannockburn, Vic, butchery.

Pre-sold meat packs will be delivered to supporters in Victoria, New South Wales, Brisbane and Townsville.

Following the crowdfunding success, Provenir's online store will soon go live.

Ms Newgreen said the process improved animal welfare, removed transport costs and stress on animals, and in return produced meat of exceptional quality, taste and tenderness.