Our blog from yesterday looked at the simple idea that led to Provenir and how our founders solved the key problems that stood in the way of the best quality, most ethically raised meat available. But that was only the start. Provenir saw other barriers that needed to be broken through to achieve their goals, ones that would require innovation and some old-world farming practices to solve.

Farming has been in the news a lot in recent years. With global warming the spotlight has turned to protein products and their effect on our environment. Provenir is caught between the two ideas. We believe that animal protein is key to a well balanced diet but also want to see a reduction in carbon emissions and our land treated with respect.

To find the balance the answer came from centuries old practices based around regenerative agriculture. A farmer from Zimbabwe, Allan Savory, pioneered the study of regenerative agriculture. He observed that grazing time, not grazing density, is the key to the landscape re-greening process. This requires that herders closely watch the effect of the animals on the land, constantly observing the soil and grass and the water cycle and adjusting the herd’s behaviour and movement to maximise ecosystem health. 

Over the following decades the knowledge has grown and as large scale farming developed, and the land they used failed, it was clear that these natural herbivore behaviours could hold the key to a more sustainable approach. 

Being a farming technique that Chris had been using for 10 years prior, it was natural that Provenir would partner with farmers that had also been employing these techniques for many years – avoiding artificial fertilisers and using cover cropping and rotational grazing to naturally improve soil quality and promote robust plant growth. But there is another big benefit – regenerative farming also increases the ability of the land to capture carbon, pulling it from the atmosphere and storing it deep in the soil.

Diversity Matters

Another key plank is diverse pastures. The monoculture farms of conventional farming required large amounts of chemical additives to maintain growth, but cows, like any animal, thrives with a diverse diet that offers balance and nutrients from a variety of sources. That’s why our farms use permanent species of grasses and legumes. These improve the soil and make for healthier and tastier meat.

Farms are relatively new additions to the Australian landscape, and they exist in a range of environments with many native species, so we believe that ensuring, where possible, areas of the land are retained and restored to original states is critical for maintaining biodiversity. 

A farm with clean flowing streams, fringed with native plants, trees for shade that provide homes for the birds and insects, are places that are more beautiful and productive! Moisture is retained in the soils, the insects pollinate our grasses and the natural diversity creates an environment that is more tolerant to weather extremes. 

Although Provenir was founded on ethical and humane farming practices we also have to create a sustainable business that acknowledges the value of the land and the diversity it needs. One that provides the very best products while leaving the least impact on the land that we can. 

Five years in and we are still growing and learning, and through these practices we are seeing our lands improve and in turn our animals thrive, producing even better meat in a way that can go on for generations to come.