Kelly Products announced July 24 that it has started a blockchain system for tracking proteins in the southeastern U.S.

The new blockchain system will address current issues producers face with building a traceable brand for beef and other proteins, the company said.

Kelly Registration Systems, the software division of Kelly Products, previously developed inventory tracking and administrative management solutions for the agribusiness and manufacturing industries and is well positioned to apply these tools to the blockchain, the company said in its announcement.

"We've had success creating solutions specifically geared towards the agribusiness market," Kelly Registration Systems chief technology officer Stuart Edmondson said. "Utilizing blockchain technology for our new tracking system gives producers the opportunity to streamline their protein tracking and make it extremely accessible and transparent."

Participating producers will track their cattle and livestock through radio-frequency identification (RFID), and data will be collected at predefined intervals. Since this solution is built on blockchain technology, these data will be easily accessible to the producers' partners, retailers and even consumers.

Kelly Products is currently testing the new blockchain system through Farmview Market, which it started in 2015, before making it available to producers across the Southeast. As a farmers market, specialty grocery and butcher that works with numerous local and regional protein suppliers, Farmview Market is an ideal testing ground for tracking animals through the supply chain and demonstrating the benefit of providing additional transparency directly to consumers, Kelly Products said.

"We plan to start the blockchain with our own animals and then expand it to other members of the meat processing and supply chain across the state of Georgia and the Southeast. We believe transparency and food safety are top priorities not only for our consumers at Farmview Market but for our state's entire food system," said Keith Kelly, president and chief executive officer of Kelly Products.

Data collected will include information regarding each animal's breed, sire, sex, vaccinations, weight, average daily gain, antibiotic or growth hormone use, feed and forages, farm location, changes in ownership, date slaughtered, date processed, carcass grading and other factors.

"After 25 years in the agribusiness industry, we identified a major need for state food producers to better track and report on protein sources," Kelly said. "Our new blockchain solution has the potential to completely change how protein is sourced, increase transparency for the end consumer and strengthen the producer's protein brand."

Headquartered in Covington, Ga., holding company Kelly Products Inc. provides various segments of the chemical and agribusiness industries with essential information and automation solutions. Its business units help leading chemical companies formulate and bring products to market quickly; assist departments of agriculture with electronic data capture, data tracking and funds collection for greater efficiency, and support gardening and landscaping interests by providing a wealth of information and assistance that fosters results for homes and businesses.