Farming With Nature
Build Resilience
While the goal is to build resilience, our values are to work with nature. We match our enterprise to suit the environment, not the other way around.
A NSW-registered Wildlife Refuge since 1968, Lana is a working farm producing superfine wool, lamb and beef.
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Our breeding sheep stock are plain bodied, superfine, Poll Merinos; non-mulesed. We produce 16.5micron superfine wool, in high demand in the chain of farm-to-fibre-to-fashion logistics.
In 2022, Lana was accredited by Responsible Wool Standards, ISO international standards audit for recognising wool produced with the highest regard for animal welfare and ethics, environmentally sound landscape practices, and the health and safety of those engaged within the wool-industry.
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Lana sheep are pure Merino, poll (no horns) bred to suit our environment; bred for domestic and international markets.
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Lana operates as 8 farmlets, with cattle herds grazing in paddocks, immediately followed by sheep flocks (leader/follower).
Lana has its own herd of cattle livestock as well as 8 agisted herds – separated in their own farmlet. Biosecurity practices are significant.
In 2023, Lana began backgrounding for pasture-fed overseas and domestic markets, and was accredited as a “Pasture Fed” farm for the American export market. This accreditation demonstrates Lana’s commitment to grass-fed, hormone-free, anti-biotic/chemical/grain-free grazing.
Accreditations
Pasture Fed Accreditation 2023
Grass-fed, hormone-free ethical welfare, export quality standards
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Responsible Wool Standards
Ethical, ecological, environmental ISO standards for wool.
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Ecological Outcome Verification™
Indexes ecological health.
Awaiting Verification
Learn More
Planned Grazing
Planned grazing is based on adjusting the stocking rate to suit the carrying capacity – and is subject to variable seasonal conditions. Having a flexible grazing plan is the key to our viable farming business
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Lana’s infrastructure includes 350 paddocks, which on average are 10 hectares, with some paddocks as small as 4 or 5 hectares.
The whole farm is permanently fenced and watered using solar-pumped water to troughs and dams.
The design enables eight farmlets to operate at the same time, where livestock are rotated within.
The object of planned grazing is not to overgraze. We aim for 100% ground cover regardless of seasonal conditions.
Each paddock is grazed once per summer, autumn, winter, and spring by a leader/follower pattern - cattle then sheep. The graze period is dependent on the desired recovery period and the number of available paddocks going forward, within that farmlet.
By enabling the cattle to graze first, this method dramatically reduces the vegetable matter in the sheep’s fleece, making the wool more desirable in the logistics chain. This adds economic value to each bale of wool.
Because our livestock are “nomadic in the paddock”, and rest is used as a tool, the worm-burden is significantly reduced, as the re-infestation cycle is interrupted.
The pasture has time to regenerate, and undesirable weeds are reduced due to increased perennial ground cover, thus planned grazing significantly reduces cost of production. We do not need to purchase hay or grain, even in a drought.
Our values in preserving and enhancing whole of farm biodiversity at Lana, including the precious dung beetle, we specifically do not use some chemical drenches. Our mantra is to address the causes not the symptoms.
Lana paddock layout
Courtesy of SNELandcare
Biodiverse-Rich Land
By integrating nature’s free resources into whole of farm practices, resilience is leveraged on many levels - ecologically, economically, socially, and politically.
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“Lana” in Spanish means wool. Located in the south west portion of the NSW Northern Tablelands, Lana is located at the upper end of the Gwydir River catchment, which then feeds into the Murray-Darling basin.
At 850m above sea level, and an average annual rainfall of between 750 to 800mls, the property is 3350 hectares of granite soil, undulating landscape, with Roumalla Creek frontage and its two spring-fed tributaries.
Populated by granite boulder outcrops, the property is well-vegetated with linked tree-corridors and improved native pastures. As a result of our long-term holistic-management approach, Lana embraces a broad range of native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous flora – all naturally regenerating.
Our whole-of-landscape management approach has enabled Lana to become rich in biodiversity. The property hosts a diverse range of life above and below the soil. We share our home with Australia’s iconic koala, echidna, bell turtle and platypus.
A NSW-registered Wildlife Refuge since 1968, Lana is a working farm producing superfine wool, lamb and beef.
Carbon Sequestering
“Lana’s farming enterprise sequesters 4 x times more soil carbon than the CO2e our enterprise emits”
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In the wake of the Millenium drought in 2021, as part of the pilot phase for Natural Capital Accounting, research data showed Lana’s Net Carbon sequestration to be 9,452 tonnes/CO2e per year. This represents 80% more sequestered soil carbon than the CO2 our enterprise emits*.
In holistic terms, soil carbon is only one segment contributing to all biodiversity, underpinning the balanced ecosystem of our farming landscapes.
As well as building resilience of landscape, carbon sequestration does offer economic value, however, there is a trend in a new appreciation and recognition that biodiversity, rather than carbon sequestration, is at the “top of the tree” for its value-adding potential.
We continue to participate in and support scientific measurement of biodiversity
Historically, Lana was the lambing area for Balala Station, a 99,000-acre settlement established in 1841 by Thomas Tearle and George Morse. Lana’s unique granite boulder outcrops, open-wooded grassland and fresh spring water provided shelter for lambing ewes. In the 1870’s the Hudson family bought Balala Station, which, over the years was subdivided. Pre-WW1, some areas of Balala were allotted as soldiers settlement blocks. Lana Homestead was the Balala community’s Post Office.
When Peter and Jane Wright acquired Lana in 1952, the property totalled 8,400 acres (3350 h). With one large paddock and fenced-off woolshed, shearers quarters and homestead - the overall property was managed by shepherds for the Hudson Family.
By comparison, in 2023, Lana has 350 permanently fenced and watered paddocks designed and used for planned grazing.
*Natural Capital Management Report, NESP Case Study 5 “Lana”, 23 February 2021, Gardner, M; O’Brien, D; Lawrence, R. and Ogilvy, S. (emissions (tCO2e/year) at 2,473 minus estimated C sequestration (tCO2e/year) -11,925).