Our Story

Facing huge challenges economically and environmentally, Tim became dissatisfied with traditional farming practices.

About Tim Wright

“Change requires knowledge & understanding” - Tim Wright

  • Tim and Suzanne Wright live and work at Lana. For Tim, Lana has been his life-long home.

    The journey to find new approaches to managing the landscape and the farming enterprise began in the late 1980’s, not long after Tim took over the stewardship of Lana from his parents. Declining terms of trade and the 1982 drought were the catalyst for change.

    Tim’s approach to farming and land management is a result of cumulative influences from his education and training, networks and lived experiences.

    Today, Tim Wright is considered an “influencer” of farming with nature – integrating nature’s free resources into whole of farm practices.

  • Following his HSC at The Armidale School (TAS), Tim studied Financial Management (Ag) at University of New England, Armidale. In the mid 1970’s he enrolled in the first intake of students of the Diploma of Farm Management at Orange Agricultural College, NSW.

    In later years, he studied directly under Stan Parsons (Ranching for Profit) and then Allan Savoury (Holistic Management) – and began pioneering the introduction of holistic management practices in Australia. Tim developed a contemporary approach to farming management that suited not only Australia’s landscape conditions, but a set of guiding principles which can be adapted anywhere in the world.

    Tim participates in ongoing learning and development with RCS (Resource Consulting Services). He was a curriculum advisor to Southern Cross University’s Regenerative Agriculture undergraduate and post graduate degrees.

    Tim became an inaugural member of Landcare (Australia) in 1982, which incorporates Southern New England Landcare.

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.
Learn More

By managing the landscape holistically – it is understood that everything in nature is interrelated.  These holistic principles guide our decisions and actions.

Transformation

  • Tim’s management of Lana began in 1980 as part of his succession to a family farm. Peter and Jane Wright and their children moved to Lana Station from Wollomombi Station in 1952 - months before Tim was born.

    Farming has many challenges - social, environmental, economic, and political. The goal continues to be building resilience into our business, with the values of working with nature.

    Lana Station has been researched continuously during our journey to restoring the landscape to a natural improved state and operating a viable enterprise.

    With more than 35 years of scientific evidence to demonstrate our measured successes socially, environmentally, and economically, we are on the pathway of influencing others who wish to learn from the benefits of a natural capital farming approach that embraces holistic thinking.

    Our goal of building resilience in our farming business is ongoing and positions us well to meet the challenges we may all face.

2018, in the years of the worst recorded drought in modern history.

1982 : the year Tim took over management of Lana. Same site prior to adding spring fed dam and solar pump.

Memberships

Southern New England Landcare
From 1982

NSW Farmers Federation

ZNET Uralla

Rotary Club Uralla

Associations

Holistic Management International

RCS (Resource Consulting Services)

Awards

2022 Legislative Assembly of NSW
Community Recognition Statement

Carbon Cocky of NSW Award

Articles and Books referencing Tim Wright

Massey, Charles 2017, Call of the Reed Warbler

  • pp 69-82,101, 122, 143, 171, 196-7, 200, 236-7, 239, 279, 304, 378, 408

  • University of Queensland Press

Australian Financial Review

  • 22-27 December 2022, Companies

  • “This farmer has turned climate change to advantage”

Testimonials

“Since Tim started on his journey, it’s clear that he has battled with resistance to alternative and holistic thinking. The considerable interest in regenerative agriculture in recent years has given Tim more of a voice, and meant he is less of a lone ranger.

While it may not be terribly defined yet, what the ‘regenerative’ in regenerative agriculture refers to, it is pretty clear that the landscape is regenerating at Lana.

Arguably, an appropriate definition of regenerative agriculture could be that more carbon from the atmosphere is captured through photosynthesis and held in the landscape, than is emitted from livestock and fossil fuel derived inputs. The regeneration of predominately native biodiversity on Lana in grasslands, woodlands and areas along creeks in a resilient way of drawing down and storing that captured carbon while also conserving biodiversity and providing the essential service of food and fibre production. 

While there are multiple pathways to the regeneration of farm landscapes, in my view, there is no argument whatsoever that Lana is an outstanding example of regenerative agriculture in action”

Dr Rachel Lawrence PhD - VIEW PROFILE

“During the 1980s, Tim Wright attended one or more of the identification and management of native grasses for livestock workshops held in the Northern Tablelands and Northern Slopes of NSW. He became very skilled at using the botanical keys to identify the native grasses growing on Lana, and neighbouring properties. 

I consider him as one of the star pupils among those landholders attending my workshops. The story of how his initial interest in identifying the forage species growing on his property eventually changed his whole approach to landscape management as described in his journey of transforming Lana, and the training that Tim offers.

I wholeheartedly commend to anyone with an interest in land management either as an actual manager, but also to those involved in administering the regulations associated with land management in rural areas, to engage with Tim Wright.”

Prof. R.D.B (Wal) Whalley PhD VIEW TITLE AWARD

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