The Weekly Times 2022 Shine Awards aim to celebrate and spotlight rural Australian women who are making a difference. They recognise that it is women who often hold communities, businesses and industries together.
The Weekly Times shortlists nominated women on farms, in regional communities and in sporting, community, business and schooling groups across seven categories; Belief, Courage, Dedication, Grace, Spirit, the Youth Award, and finally, Passion and Overall Shine winner.
Bianca was nominated for the Belief Award because she so clearly embodies what this award is all about; a rural woman who has a vision to change or enhance the world around them for the benefit of others.
Through Our Cow, Bianca and fellow Co-Founder David McGiveron have not only significantly changed the financial situation of their own beef farm, but also over 100 other Farmers across Australia, as well as generously contributed to and supported their local community. The Our Cow paddock-to-plate philosophy allows Aussie farmers, for the first time, to be price setters rather than price takers.
This is a huge change in the Australian livestock industry and was a great personal risk to take. Coming out of several years of drought, bushfires and running out of ideas on how to feed their cattle (and themselves), Bianca decided to sell her own meat online. She quickly realised that demand far exceeded supply, and asked some local neighbours to get involved.
Knowing exactly how much she and Dave, and their neighbours, would get for their cattle was a very welcome change. “I had trouble comprehending we would work so long and so hard for an animal and we had no idea what we would get paid for it,” Bianca says.
Fast forward three years, Bianca and Dave now have over two hundred of their own healthy, thriving cattle and work with over one hundred other farmers who supply their production facility, aptly named ‘Cow Town’, in Casino NSW. They are consistently supplied with free-range and grass-fed beef and lamb, organic and free-range chicken and free-range pork, all of which must follow strict sustainable and ethical farming practice. “Our cattle are a small drop in the ocean of Our Cow now,” Bianca says. “Still, it is good to be able to guarantee us a price, and do the same for other farmers as well.”
Not only that, but Bianca and Dave also make sure they generously support and give back to their local community. During the recent floods, they donated over 100kg of meat to families who had lost everything and held a fundraiser for the Cow Town employees who were personally affected.
Currently, Bianca is running a Christmas Ham donation drive, where customers can choose to donate a ham to a family in need at Christmas throughout the Lismore, Coraki, Woodburn and Broadwater areas of northern NSW.
The Weekly Times noted "For her foresight and determination to not just save her own farm and business, but help others do the same, Bianca Tarrant is the perfect winner of the 2022 Shine Award for Belief."
Congratulations Bianca!
