An 'overnight success' is often many years in the making and that's certainly the case for the Our Cow empire.

Husband and wife duo Dave McGiveron and Bianca Tarrant scraped together a deposit to buy a small cattle property in 2019 and fulfill their dream of being 'mad weaner producers'.

With just one steer to their name, they launched a direct-to-consumer meat business which soon exploded into a meat subscription powerhouse turning over more than $40 million a year. 

But it hasn't been without sacrifice, failure and some hair-raising stories of tackling challenges head-on. 

Hear what it takes to build Our Cow with two people determined to tighten the connection between consumers and the producers of their food. 

takeaways

• Transitioning from mining to farming requires significant lifestyle changes and sacrifice 
• Drought taught valuable lessons about resilience and mindset
• Business coaching helped shift their perspective from victim to controller
• Innovating during crises can lead to new business opportunities
• The subscription meat model provided stability and growth
• Crowdfunding engaged the community and provided necessary capital to scale up operations

chapters

00:00 Introduction and Exploring the Dynamics of a Husband and Wife Partnership in Farming

08:56 The Journey to Owning a Farm

14:22 Facing Challenges: Drought and Mental Resilience

17:15 Innovating Through Crisis: The Birth of a New Business Model

27:49 Navigating Growth: Challenges and Opportunities

30:29 COVID-19: A Catalyst for Change

36:54 The Subscription Model: A Lifeline for Survival

42:00 Crowdfunding: Engaging the Community

Check out the meat subscriptions on offer at Our Cow - we think anyone directly supporting Aussie farmers deserves a plug!

Explore more stories of Humans of Agriculture - don't forget to rate, subscribe, and leave a review!

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend and let us know your thoughts at hello@humansofagriculture.com. 

RAS Rural Achiever
Applications are now open for the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW’s 2026 Rural Achiever Award. If you’re in your 20s, making an impact in Aussie ag and your community, this is a HUGE opportunity. Eight finalists will head to the Sydney Royal Easter Show for a jam packed eight days — from Professional Development and Government House, to networking with the movers and shakers in agriculture, plus a share in $17,000 prize money. Entries close Friday 29th August and this is an opportunity you don’t want to miss out on — head to RASNSW.com.au and throw your hat in the ring