Cattle, prime beef, live weight, South Coast {AU-NSW}| feeder steers | AusLCI, U

Unit process v00.00.000

This dataset represents the production of cattle for beef. The reference flow is 100 Documentation for this dataset can be found in the 'LCAgMetrics Methodology for developing Life Cycle Inventory' report, available at https://agrifutures.com.au/. (Hume, I., Renouf, M.A., Eady, S.J., Grant, T., 2025). It was developed as part of the LCAgMetrics project, a partnership between Agrifutures Australia and Lifecycles, funded by the Australian Government's Sustainability Reporting Uplift Grant as part of the National Agriculture Traceability Grants Program. Production Volume: 20916.111 kg Activities included: The inventory begins with the breeding, growing and maintenance of cattle in the State, Region, and Production System detailed. Activities included are: Pasture, feed inputs, supplements and energy use on farm. Direct field emissions are included. The system boundary ends at the farm gate with the production of cattle for sale in three classes - culled cattle (Cast For Age cows and bulls), prime cattle (heifers, feeder steers and finished steers) and weaner cattle (female and male). Energy values: 13.0 MJ/kg. Nutritional values: Protein: 14.1%. Carbohydrate: 0.8%. Fat: 14.6%. Geography: South Coast, New South Wales, Australia. Technology level: Represents current practices as per gross margins reports (NSW DPI 2023 Rural Solutions SA 2022). Time period: 2017-2021. Version: 1.2 Record: Data entry by: Sandra Eady Tel: ; email: office@lifecycles.com.au; company:Lifecycles; Country: AU Generator: Generator/publicator: Sandra Eady Tel: ; email: office@lifecycles.com.au; company:Lifecycles; Country: AU

Sector: Material
Contributor: —
Last updated: 26 Aug 2024
Reference ID: 5dd64881-0529-3391-95a1-4e2815710521

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Documentation

Quantitative reference: Cattle, prime beef, live weight, South Coast {AU-NSW}| feeder steers | AusLCI, U
Sampling procedure: Herd structure and product turn-off from Breedcow Beef CRC templates (Holmes et al. 2011), Gross Margin publications (New South Wales Department of Primary Industries 2023; Ag Excellence Alliance 2024).
Creation date: 26 Aug 2024
Is copyright protected: No
Is infrastructure process: No
Tags: material
Sources: National Inventory Report (NIR) 2023/2025/DCCEEW
Ash alkalinity/1991/Slattery et al.
Building a foundation for soil condition assessment/2009/Baldock et al.
Environmental performance of large ruminant supply chains/2016/FAO
A Greenhouse Accounting Framework for Beef and Sheep/2020/Ekonomou A.
Agricultural Commodities, Australia, 2018-2022/2023/ABS
Assessing beef carcass tissue weights\2010\Navajas et al.
Beef Cattle Gross Margin Budget/2023/NSW DPI /2023
Efficiency of absorbed protein/2018/Mariz, L.D.S. et al
Farm Gross Margin 2015/2015/Rural Solutions SA PIRSA
Land use of Australia 2010-11 to 2020-21/2024/ABARES
Protein content of liveweight/2022/Honig, A.C. et al
Representative Herds Templates for Northern Australia V1.00/2011/Holmes et al.
The heat of combustion values of the protein and fat in pigs\1972\Sharma et al.

Product outputs

Flow	Amount	Unit	Comment
Cattle, manufacturing beef, live weight, South Coast , biogenic C not balanced {AU-NSW}\| feeder steers \| AusLCI, U	7863.634	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.07. Quantity of Culled cattle sold (kg live weight) e.g. mature bulls and cows. Carbon content, fossil: 0.0 kg C/kg dry mass. Carbon content, non-fossil: 0.51 kg C/kg dry mass. Dry mass: 0.32 kg/kg wet mass. Wet mass: 1 kg/kg wet mass.
Cattle, prime beef, live weight, South Coast {AU-NSW}\| feeder steers \| AusLCI, U	20916.111	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.07. Quantity of Prime Cattle sold as Steers or Heifers (kg live weight). Carbon content, fossil: 0.0 kg C/kg dry mass. Carbon content, non-fossil: 0.51 kg C/kg dry mass. Dry mass: 0.32 kg/kg wet mass. Wet mass: 1 kg/kg wet mass.
Weaned cattle, live weight, South Coast , biogenic C not balanced {AU-NSW}\| feeder steers \| AusLCI, U	4545.201	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.07. Quantity of Weaner Cattle sold (kg live weight). Carbon content, fossil: 0.0 kg C/kg dry mass. Carbon content, non-fossil: 0.51 kg C/kg dry mass. Dry mass: 0.32 kg/kg wet mass. Wet mass: 1 kg/kg wet mass.

Technical inputs

Flow	Amount	Unit	Comment
Carbon correction factor {AU}\| \| AusLCI, U	310.29284867115666	kg	(2,3,1,1,1,na) - Biogenic carbon correction for prime cattle. Note other products are not balanced for biogenic carbon in this process, but are balanced in a subsequent linked process. All other flows other than biogenic carbon are allocated correction from this inventory.
Cattle, internal parasite control {AU}\| \| AusLCI, U	372.034	Item(s)	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Internal parasite treatments for the herd.
Cattle, prime beef, live weight, South Coast {AU-NSW}\| feeder steers \| AusLCI, U	737.0999999999999	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total liveweight of replacement bulls purchased each year (kg)
Cereal hay {AU}\| market for cereal hay \| AusLCI, U	3010.267	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.07. Total hay for herd from matching geographical region/state.
Chemical, organic {GLO}\| market for chemical, organic \| Cut-off, U	372.034	g	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Vaccine administered for clostridial and reproductive diseases (ml).
Coconut, dehusked {GLO}\| market for coconut, dehusked \| Cut-off, U	0.0	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.07. Coconut used as proxy for copra.
Cottonseed meal, at oil mill {AU}\| \| AusLCI, U	0.0	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.07. Total cottonseed meal for herd from matching geographical region/state.
Cottonseed meal, at oil mill {AU}\| \| AusLCI, U	0.0	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.07. Total protein pellets 20% CP for herd.
Dry season mix, 30% urea, 5.5% P, at production {AU}\| \| AusLCI, U	2744.687	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.07. Total dry season mineral supplement for herd.
Electricity, low voltage {AU-NT}\| market for electricity, low voltage \| AusLCI, U	191.317217	kWh	(1,1,1,1,1,na) Electricity calculated from economic data reported in farm survey data from ABARES for 2018-2022 (https://www.agriculture.gov.au/abares/data/farm-data-portal).
Fertilizing, broadacre crop, pre & post-emergence, conventional {AU}\| \| AusLCI, U	323.716	ha	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.5 Uncertainty. Application of fertiliser to pasture.
Forage sorghum, irrigated, Darling Downs QLD {AU}\| \| AusLCI, U	0.0	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.07. Total hay for herd from matching geographical region/state.
Molasses, C-grade, at mill gate, {AU-QLD}\| sugarcane milling \| AusLCI, U	0.0	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.07. Total hay for herd from matching geographical region/state.
Oat grain {AU}\| market for oat grain \| AusLCI, U	0.0	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.07. Total area oats grazed by herd from matching geographical region/state.
Polyurethane, flexible foam {GLO}\| market for \| Cut-off, U	2150.2	g	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total weight of ID tags for flock.
Single superphosphate {AU}\| market for single superphosphate \| AusLCI, U	3237.16	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.07. Single superphosphate for pasture improvement.
Tractor engine operation, on farm, per litre of diesel consumed {AU}\| \| AusLCI, U	64.605814	l	(1,1,1,1,1,na) 1.05 Uncertainty. Fuel calculated from economic data reported in farm survey data from ABARES for 2018-2022 (https://www.agriculture.gov.au/abares/data/farm-data-portal).
Transport, truck, 28t, fleet average {AU}\| \| AusLCI, U	2062.614165128	t*km	(3,1,1,1,1,na) 2.1 Uncertainty. Total transport for inputs to the system in tkm. All assumed to be transported by articulated trucks.
Transport, truck, 60t load {AU}\| \| AusLCI, U	81.08099999999999	t*km	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 2 Uncertainty. Livestock transport for purchased bulls.
Wet season mix, 0% N 21% P, at production {AU}\| \| AusLCI, U	0.0	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.07. Total wet season mineral supplement without N for herd.

Elementary flow inputs

Flow	Sub-compartment	Amount	Unit	Comment
Carbon dioxide	unspecified	50644.568153058004	kg	Nett additinal biogenic carbon absorbed by pasture and transferred to liveweight of the aminal after accounting for external biogenic carbon inputs such as feed.
Occupation, grassland, natural, for livestock grazing	land	323.716	ha*a	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.5. Intersection of livestock region (based on SA2 units) and 2021 Land Use Map (Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences 2024) for natural and sown pastures combined with Agricultural Commodities, Australia (2018-2022) for livestock numbers.
Transformation, from grassland, natural, for livestock grazing	land	323.716	ha	No net land transformation assumed. Any net land transformations due to direct land use change (dLUC) to be added when more clarity regarding LUC estimation method, and consistent with carbon fluxes from dLUC
Transformation, to grassland, natural, for livestock grazing	land	323.716	ha	No net land transformation assumed. Any net land transformations due to direct land use change (dLUC) to be added when more clarity regarding LUC estimation method, and consistent with carbon fluxes from dLUC
Water, unspecified natural origin, Murrumbidgee, NSW, AU	—	16.804122764	l	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total water use is calculated from cattle drinking water requirements taking account water content of feed and mean ambient temperature occuring in Murrumbidgee, NSW, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Murrumbidgee, NSW, AU	—	0.0	ML	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Evaporative water loss from farm dam occuring in Murrumbidgee, NSW, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, South East Coast, NSW, VIC and SA, AU	—	1615781.035	l	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total water use is calculated from cattle drinking water requirements taking account water content of feed and mean ambient temperature occuring in South East Coast, NSW, VIC and SA, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, South East Coast, NSW, VIC and SA, AU	—	0.0	ML	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Evaporative water loss from farm dam occuring in South East Coast, NSW, VIC and SA, AU catchment.

Elementary flow outputs

Flow	Compartment	Sub-compartment	Amount	Unit	Comment
Ammonia	Emission to air	unspecified	875.7725454545454	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.4. NH3 emission
Area grazed	Non material emissions	—	323.716	ha	—
Carbon dioxide, from soil or biomass stock	Emission to air	low population density	0.0	kg	This flow intentionally set to zero. Carbon fluxes from direct land use change (dLUC) to be added when more clarity regarding LUC estimation method
Dinitrogen monoxide	Emission to air	unspecified	25.134	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.4. N2O leaching and runoff
Dinitrogen monoxide	Emission to air	low population density	0.0	kg	(1,3,2,1,1,na) - 1.4 Uncertainty.Nitrous oxide production from mineralisation due to loss of soil carbon, NIR 2022 Source: NIR 2023 (DCCEEW, 2025).
Dinitrogen monoxide	Emission to air	unspecified	4.557	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.4. N2O atmospheric deposition
Dinitrogen monoxide	Emission to air	unspecified	43.396	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.4. N2O Dung and Urine
Enteric methane	Non material emissions	—	10968.102	kg	—
Evaporative water loss	Non material emissions	—	0.0	m3	—
Livestock N2O all sources	Non material emissions	—	68530004.557	kg	—
Methane, non-fossil	Emission to air	unspecified	10968.102	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.21. Enteric Methane
Methane, non-fossil	Emission to air	unspecified	672.771	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.21. Manure Methane
Methane, non-fossil	Emission to air	unspecified	689.51508	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.21. Farm dam Methane
Nitrogen	Emission to water	ground water	1438.039626	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.5. N leached from Dung and Urine
Water intake of livestock	Non material emissions	—	1615.781035	m3	—
hydrogen ions	Emissions to soil	—	9.256230984000002	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Net change in H ions due to imports (feriliser, feeds) to and exports (cattle liveweight) from the farm

Parameters

Name	Value	Formula	Description
Pro_Weaners	363.61608	KG_WeanersPC_LwtEFF_P_Lwt	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total protein requirement to produce Weaners (kg)
TotalTkmRoad	2062.614165128	(Dry_mixKM_Lick+Wet_mixKM_LICK+HayKM_Hay+CopraKM_Copra+MolassesKM_Molasses+CottonseedKM_Cottonseed+Protein_PelletsKM_Protein_Pellets+Tot_P_fertKM_fert+Fuel_use0.84KM_fuel)/1000	(3,1,1,1,1,na) 2.1 Uncertainty. Total transport for inputs to the system in tkm. All assumed to be transported by articulated trucks.
Evap_water_loss_T	—	Evap_water_loss*HA_GRAZING	(1,1,1,1,1,na) 1.05 Uncertainty. Total evaporative water loss from farm dams (ML/year)
PUR_Bulls_NO	0.819	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Number of replacement bulls purchased per year. Breedcow Beef CRC templates (Holmes et al. 2011) and Gross Margin publications (New South Wales Department of Primary Industries 2023; Ag Excellence Alliance 2024).
DM_Livecattle	0.319	—	(2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of cattle
BioC_Products	5751.185855734001	ProducttotalDM_LivecattleCC_Livecattle	kg biogenic carbon in outputs of all products in the inventory before applying allocation
BioC_Actual_CulledBreeders	1357.098092086	kg_CulledbreedersDM_LivecattleCC_Livecattle	The actual amount of biogenic carbon which should be allocated culled breeders in kg C.
Vaccine_vol	2.0	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Volume of individual vaccine (ml)
PUR_Bulls	737.0999999999999	PUR_Bulls_WT*PUR_Bulls_NO	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total liveweight of replacement bulls purchased each year (kg)
KG_CulledBreeders	7863.634	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Quantity of Culled cattle sold (kg live weight) e.g. mature bulls, cows and spay cows >3 years old, calculated using herd structure from Breedcow Beef CRC templates (Holmes et al. 2011), Gross Margin publications ( New South Wales Department of Primary Industries 2023; Ag Excellence Alliance 2024).
AF_Dry_mix	0.012	—	(2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for urea (kMol/kg) assuming 30% urea in dry season mix, based on (Baldock et al. 2009).
EFN_Leach	0.011	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Emissions factor for proportion of N leached released as N2O.
CC_Hay	0.4	—	(2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content of 0.4 as DM, NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
P_Weaners	3.74	—	(1,1,1,1,1,na) Average price for Restocker Yearlings (Heifers and Steers) ($/kg live weight sold) from MLA https://www.mla.com/prices-markets/statistics/ for 5 year period 2019 - 2024.
KM_Protein_pellets	600.0	—	(3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for protein_pellets (km)
Tot_En	103307332.6	En_CulledBreeders+En_PrimeCattle+En_Weaners	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total calorific value (kcal) of co-products.
All_Pro_PrimeCattle	62.76412570931098	Pro_PrimeCattle/Pro_Total*100	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to Prime Cattle based on protein requirement (%)
DM_Cottonseed	0.9	—	(2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of cottonseed
EN_CulledBreeders	24377265.4	En_lwt1000KG_CulledBreeders	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total calorific value (kcal) of VulledBreeders.
Soil_C_loss	—	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Change in Soil Orgnic Carbon t C/ha/year in 0-30cm layer
Dry_mix	2744.687	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total dry season lick (kg)
DMI	529860.019	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) kg Dry matter intake. Calculated using GAFF Beef and Sheep based on NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
KM_Copra	600.0	—	(3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for copra (km)
DM_Copra	0.9	—	(2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of copra
DM_Protein_Pellets	0.9	—	(2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of protein pellets
Cattle	201.996	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total number of cattle (Adult Equivalents) carried for the year using herd structure from from Breedcow Beef CRC templates (Holmes et al. 2011) and farm gross margins (New South Wales Department of Primary Industries 2023; Ag Excellence Alliance 2024).
ATMOS_N2O	4.557	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) kg N2O from N deposited from atmosphere. Calculated using GAFF Beef and Sheep based on NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
AF_Molasses	—	—	(2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for molasses (kMol/kg) based on (Baldock et al. 2009).
CC_Molasses	0.347	—	(2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content of 0.42 as DM
F_South_East_Coast_NSW_VIC_and_SA	1.0	—	Fraction of South East Coast, NSW, VIC and SA, AU catchment in livestock region.
IntParasites_cows	2.0	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) -Number of internal parasite treatments for cows (New South Wales Department of Primary Industries 2023; Ag Excellence Alliance 2024).
PUR_Bulls_WT	900.0	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Liveweight (kg) of replacement bulls purchased each year. Breedcow Beef CRC templates (Holmes et al. 2011) and Gross Margin publications ( New South Wales Department of Primary Industries 2023; Ag Excellence Alliance 2024).
soil_NC_frac	0.09090909090909091	1/(10+1)	Fraction of N to C in soil, based on a CN ratio of 1:10 - NIR 2023 (DCCEEW, 2025).
AF_Cattle	0.34	—	(2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for red meat (kMol/kg) based on (Slattery et al.).
IntParasites_weaners	2.0	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) -Number of internal parasite treatments for weaners (New South Wales Department of Primary Industries 2023; Ag Excellence Alliance 2024).
AF_Cottonseed	—	—	(2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for cottonseed (kMol/kg) based on (Baldock et al. 2009).
Cottonseed	—	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total cottonseed fed (kg)
Pro_CulledBreeders	629.0907200000001	KG_CulledBreedersPC_LwtEFF_P_Lwt	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total protein requirement to produce Culled Breeders (kg)
All_CulledBreeders_En	23.596839436739074	En_CulledBreeders/Tot_En*100	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to CulledBreeders based on energy content (%)
AF_Copra	—	—	(2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for copra (kMol/kg) based on web search unspecifed sources.
Molasses	—	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total molasses fed (kg)
CC_Copra	0.45	—	(2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content of 0.5 as DM
EFF_P_Lwt	0.4	—	(1,1,2,1,2,na) - Efficiency of use of absorbed protein partitioned to liveweight. Mariz, L.D.S. 2018 J. Anim Sci 96: 670-683 doi: 10.1093/jas/sky018
All_PrimeCattle	68.15941037676423	iff(Allocation=1;All_PrimeCattle_Eco;iff(Allocation=2; All_PrimeCattle_EN; iff(Allocation =3; All_PrimeCattle_Mass; All_Pro_PrimeCattle)))	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to prime cattle. (%)
MAN_CH4	672.771	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) kg Methane from manure. Calculated using GAFF Beef and Sheep based on NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
BioC_all__corr_Weaners	-63.2959833944052	BioC_Actual_Weaners-BioC_CurrentAll_Weaners	This is the correction to the biogenic carbon required to balance the biogenic carbon for weaners in kg C.
KM_Cottonseed	400.0	—	(3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for cottonseed (km)
All_Weaners	13.985073083855607	iff(Allocation=1;All_Weaners_Eco;iff(Allocation=2; All_Weaners_EN; iff(Allocation =3; All_Weaners_Mass; All_Pro_Weaners)))	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to weaners. (%)
BioC_inputs	1186.8219649	HayDM_hayCC_Hay+CopraDM_CopraCC_Copra+MolassesDM_MolassesCC_Molasses+CottonseedDM_CottonseedCC_Cottonseed+Protein_PelletsDM_Protein_PelletsCC_Protein_Pellets+PUR_BullsDM_LivecattleCC_Livecattle	kg biogenic carbon inputs from feeds
All_Weaners_Eco	13.985073083855607	(KG_WeanersP_Weaners)/(P_PrimeCattleKG_PrimeCattle+P_CulledBreedersKG_CulledBreeders+KG_WeanersP_weaners)*100	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Economic allocation fraction for Weaned cattle - default for AusLCI (%)
CC_Protein_Pellets	0.405	—	(2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content of 0.5 as DM
Calves_weaned	86.008	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Number of calves weaned using herd structure from from Breedcow Beef CRC templates (Holmes et al. 2011) and farm gross margins (New South Wales Department of Primary Industries 2023; Ag Excellence Alliance 2024).
KM_Molasses	400.0	—	(3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for molasses (km)
oat_yield	100.0	—	(1,1,1,1,1,na) Yield of grazing oats
Fuel_use	64.605814	Fuel*Cows	(1,1,1,1,1,na) 1.05 Uncertainty. Whole farm fuel use (L)
Soil_C_Change_Switch	—	—	By default the switch is set to 0 to not soil carbon change. To include the value for soil carbon change set the switch to 1. The results still contain significant uncertainty and should be used with extreme care. -
DM_Molasses	0.825	—	(2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of molasses
DM_Dry_mix	0.9	—	(2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of dry season mix
All_CulledBreeders_Mass	23.59683943673907	kg_CulledBreeders/ProductTotal*100	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Mass allocation fraction for Culled cattle (%)
Pro_Total	2665.99568	Pro_CulledBreeders+Pro_PrimeCattle+Pro_Weaners	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total protein requirment for all coproducts leaving the farm (kg)
ID_tag	25.0	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Weight of plastic ID tag individual (g)
All_Pro_Weaners	13.639034853949953	Pro_Weaners/Pro_Total*100	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to Weaners based on protein requirement (%)
Tot_P_fert	3237.16	P_fertHA_GrazingPR_fert	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total fertiliser applied as single superphosphate (kg)
N_Mineralised	—	Soil_C_loss*soil_NC_frac	[Kg N] The amount of N released from SOC mineralisation - Calculated
All_PrimeCattle_En	62.76412570931098	En_PrimeCattle/Tot_En*100	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to PrimeCattle based on energy content (%)
Protein_Pellets	—	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total protein pellets 20% CP fed (kg)
All_PrimeCattle_Mass	62.76412570931097	kg_PrimeCattle/ProductTotal*100	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Mass allocation fraction for Prime cattle (%)
P_CulledBreeders	2.76	—	(1,1,1,1,1,na) Average price for National Processor Cow Indicator ($/kg live weight sold) from MLA https://www.mla.com/prices-markets/statistics/ for 5 year period 2019 - 2024.
NAAR_Inputs	-2.074250656	(Dry_mixAF_Dry_mix+Wet_mixAF_Wet_mix+HayAF_Hay+CopraAF_Copra+MolassesAF_Molasses+CottonseedAF_Cottonseed+Protein_Pellets*AF_Protein_Pellets)/1000	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Net change in soil acidity (H ion eq) from imported products (feeds, fertilizer)
EN_Weaners	14090123.1	EN_lwt1000KG_Weaners	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total calorific value (kcal) of Weaners.
ProductTotal	33324.946	KG_PrimeCattle+KG_CulledBreeders+kg_Weaners	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total production of cattle from this process (kg live weight)
BioC_as_CH4_emissions	9247.79106	(Ent_CH4+Man_CH4+Dam_Ch4)*12/16	kg biogenic carbon emitted as methane from various sources.
KG_PrimeCattle	20916.111	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Quantity of Prime cattle sold (kg live weight) e.g. steers/bullocks, heifers (2 and 3 year old), calculated using herd structure from Breedcow Beef CRC templates (Holmes et al. 2011), Gross Margin publications ( New South Wales Department of Primary Industries 2023; Ag Excellence Alliance 2024).
All_CulledBreeders	17.85551653938017	iff(Allocation=1;All_CulledBreeders_Eco;iff(Allocation=2; All_Culledbreeders_EN; iff(Allocation =3; All_Culledbreeders_Mass; All_Pro_Culledbreeders)))	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to culled breeders. (%)
All_Pro_CulledBreeders	23.596839436739078	Pro_CulledBreeders/Pro_Total*100	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to Culled Breeders based on protein requirement (%)
KG_Weaners	4545.201	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Quantity of Weaners sold (kg live weight) - both sexes < 1 year old, calculated using herd structure from Breedcow Beef CRC templates (Holmes et al. 2011), Gross Margin publications ( New South Wales Department of Primary Industries 2023; Ag Excellence Alliance 2024).
BioC_all_Corr_Primecattle	310.29284867115666	BioC_CurrentAll_PrimeCattle-BioC_Actual_Primecattle	This is the correction to the biogenic carbon required to balance the biogenic carbon for prime cattle in kg C.
BioC_Actual_Weaners	784.4062433790001	kg_WeanersDM_LivecattleCC_Livecattle	The actual amount of biogenic carbon which should be allocated weaners in kg C.
Copra	—	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total copra meal fed (kg)
HA_GRAZING	323.716	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Hectares grazing land by Livestock Region based on based on SA2 Level data from Agricultural Commodities data for five years from 2017/18-2021/22 (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2023) and Land Use of Australia (ABARES 2025).
Allocation	1.0	—	Allocation switch, 1 = Economic alocation (default for AusLCI), 2 = Energy allocation, 3 = Mass allocation, 4 = Protein Allocation.
PR_fert	1.0	—	(1,1,1,1,1,na) - Proportion of grazed area fertilsed with single superphosphate
P_fert	10.0	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Fertiliser applied as single superphosphate 8.8% P (kg/ha/year). Breedcow Beef CRC templates (Holmes et al. 2011), Gross Margin publications ( New South Wales Department of Primary Industries 2023; Ag Excellence Alliance 2024).
BioC_Actual_Primecattle	3609.6815202690004	kg_PrimecattleDM_LivecattleCC_Livecattle	The actual amount of biogenic carbon which should be allocated Prime cattle in kg C.
CC_Dry_mix	—	—	(2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content 0.0 of dry season mix
DLUC_value	—	—	[tCO2eq/ha/year] Annual direct CO2 emissions from land use change. This flow intentionally set to zero. Carbon fluxes from direct land use change (dLUC) to be added when more clarity regarding LUC estimation method
KM_Hay	100.0	—	(3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for hay (km)
KM_fuel	300.0	—	(3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for fuel to farm (km)
CC_Wet_mix	—	—	(2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content 0.0 of wet season mix
DLUC_switch	—	—	By default the switch is set to 0 to not include direct land use change. To include the value for direct land use change set the switch to 1. Direct land use change calculation approach is still uncertain
P_PrimeCattle	3.961	—	(1,1,1,1,1,na) Average price for Young Cattle Indicator (Eastern and Western) and National Feeder Steer ($/kg live weight sold) from MLA https://www.mla.com/prices-markets/statistics/ for 5 year period 2019 - 2024.
LEACH_N2O	25.134	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) kg N2O from leached N. Calculated using GAFF Beef and Sheep based on NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025) Frac_WET estimated independently for each livestock region.
Cows	100.009	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Number of cows and heifers mated using herd structure from from Breedcow Beef CRC templates (Holmes et al. 2011) and farm gross margins (New South Wales Department of Primary Industries 2023; Ag Excellence Alliance 2024).
DAM_CH4_HA	2.13	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Methane emissions form farm dams (kg CH4 ha/yr), calcuted using the temperature based approach descibed by NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025). Dam density described by NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025).
BioC_all__corr_CulledBreeders	274.78975948993025	BioC_Actual_CulledBreeders-BioC_CurrentAll_CulledBreeders	This is the correction to the biogenic carbon required to balance the biogenic carbon for culled breeders in kg C.
Evap_water_loss	—	—	(1,1,1,1,1,na) Evaporative water loss from farm dams (ML/ha/year). Dam density described by NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025) with evaporation rate from Bureau of Metorology 1990-2020.
Pro_PrimeCattle	1673.28888	KG_PrimeCattlePC_LwtEFF_P_Lwt	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total protein requirement to produce PrimeCattle (kg)
TRANS_cattle	81.08099999999999	PUR_Bulls/1000*KM_Cattle	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 2 Uncertainty. Livestock transport for purchased cattle (t.km).
All_CulledBreeders_Eco	17.85551653938017	(KG_CulledBreedersP_CulledBreeders)/(P_PrimeCattleKG_PrimeCattle+P_CulledBreedersKG_CulledBreeders+KG_WeanersP_weaners)*100	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Economic allocation fraction for Culled cattle (%) - default for AusLCI
KM_Cattle	110.0	—	(1,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for purchased bulls (km). See Durr et al. 2010 at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287990558_GIS_mapping_of_cattle_market_service_areas_using_the_National_Livestock_Identification_System_NLIS_-_Final_report
BioC_CurrentAll_PrimeCattle	3919.974368940157	BioC_Products*All_PrimeCattle/100	Due to the allocation approach this is how much biogenic CO2 is being directed to the prime cattle product. in kg C. This is likely not the correct amount.
BioC_Pasture_nett	13812.154950834001	BioC_Products+BioC_as_CH4_emissions-BioC_inputs	kg biogenic carbon added to cattle by pasture after accounting incoming feed, respiration, losses as methane and other losses from system.
Oats_graz	—	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total area of forage oats grazed (ha)
DU_N2O	43.396	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) kg N2O from dung and urine. Calculated using GAFF Beef and Sheep based on NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
TotN_LeachGW	1454.034	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) total N leached to ground water (kg). Calculated using GAFF Beef and Sheep based on NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
Elec_use	191.317217	Elec*Cows	(1,1,1,1,1,na) 1.05 Uncertainty. Whole farm electricity use (kWh)
All_Weaners_Mass	13.63903485394995	kg_Weaners/ProductTotal*100	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Mass allocation fraction for Weaner cattle (%)
EFN_mineral	0.004	—	(1,3,2,1,1,na) - [kgN2O-N/kgN] emission factor for N emissions from mineralisations - NIR 2023 (DCCEEW, 2025).
DAM_CH4	689.51508	DAM_CH4_ha*HA_GRAZING	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total methane emissions form darm dams (kg) (excluding manure fraction which is counted elsewhere)
Water	1615781.035	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total drinking water intake (L/year)
All_PrimeCattle_Eco	68.15941037676423	(P_PrimeCattleKG_PrimeCattle)/(P_PrimeCattleKG_PrimeCattle+P_CulledBreedersKG_CulledBreeders+KG_WeanersP_weaners)*100	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Economic allocation fraction for Prime cattle - default for AusLCI (%)
N_LeachGW	1438.039626	TotN_LeachGW-(TotN_LeachGW*EFN_Leach)	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.4 Uncertainty. N leached to ground water adjusted for N loss from N2O (kg).
BioC_CurrentAll_CulledBreeders	1082.3083325960697	(BioC_Products+BioC_all_Corr_Primecattle)*All_Culledbreeders/100	Due to the allocation approach this is how much biogenic CO2 is being directed to the culled breeders product. in kg C. This is likely not the correct amount.
KM_Lick	400.0	—	(3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for dry and wet season lick (km)
DM_Hay	0.88	—	(2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of hay
Wet_mix	—	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total wet season lick (kg)
CC_livecattle	0.541	—	(2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content 0.541 of animal as DM. (Average carbon content of 0.175 C/kg liveweight assuming dressing of 63%, carcase composition of 70% meat, 20% fat and 10% bone; dry matter content of 15% by-product (blood, rumen, heads and hooves), 25% meat, 85% fat and 74% bone; and carbon content of 53% by-product, 53% meat, 76% fat and 7.5% bone.)
Fuel	0.646	—	(1,1,1,1,1,na) Fuel (L diesel/Cow mated) calculated from economic data reported in farm survey data from ABARES for 2018-2022 (https://www.agriculture.gov.au/abares/data/farm-data-portal).
DeterminingProd	20916.111	KG_PrimeCattle	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Determining product will change with production system: = KG_Weaners when KG_Weaners > KG_PrimeCattle, otherwise KG_PrimeCattle.
CC_Cottonseed	0.45	—	(2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content of 0.4 as DM, NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
ENT_CH4	10968.102	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) kg Methane from enteric fermentation. Calculated using GAFF Beef and Sheep based on NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
Hay	3010.267	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total hay fed (kg)
EN_lwt	3.1	—	(1,1,2,1,2,na) - Calorific value (kcal/g) of live cattle at 54% dressing %. Sharma et al. 1972 and Navaja et al. 2010.
AF_Wet_mix	—	—	(2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for urea (kMol/kg) assuming 30% urea in wet season mix, based on (Baldock et al. 2009).
Elec	1.913	—	(1,1,1,1,1,na) Electricity (kWh/Cow mated) calculated from economic data reported in farm survey data from ABARES for 2018-2022 (https://www.agriculture.gov.au/abares/data/farm-data-portal).
Vaccine	372.034	(Cows+Calves_weaned)*Vaccine_vol	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Vaccine administered for clostridial and reproductive diseases (ml).
BiogenicCO2	—	Soil_C_loss3.667HA_GRAZING*0	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.5 Uncertainty. Total SOC change in units of CO2-eq
ID_tags	2150.2	Calves_weaned*ID_tag	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Weight of ID tags total (g)
KM_fert	200.0	—	(3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for fertiliser to farm (km)
F_Murrumbidgee_NSW	0.0000104	—	Fraction of Murrumbidgee, NSW, AU catchment in livestock region.
NAAR_Cattle	11.330481640000002	producttotal*af_cattle/1000	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Change in soil acidity (H ion eq/t) from export of cattle product
AF_Hay	-0.7	—	(2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for hay (kMol/kg) based on (Slatery et al.).
Sorghum_graz	—	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total area of forage sorghum grazed (ha)
AF_Protein_Pellets	—	—	(2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for protein pellets (kMol/kg) based on (Baldock et al. 2009).
PC_Lwt	0.2	—	(1,1,2,1,2,na) - Protein content of liveweight. Honig, A.C. et al. 2022 Meat Science 184 doi: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2021.108685
EN_PrimeCattle	64839944.1	EN_lwt1000KG_PrimeCattle	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total calorific value (kcal) of PrimeCattle.
ID_tagbad	25.0	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Was listed as Total drinking water intake (L/year)
DM_Wet_mix	0.9	—	(2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of wet season mix
All_Weaners_En	13.639034853949953	En_Weaners/Tot_En*100	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to Weaners based on energy content (%)
BioC_CurrentAll_Weaners	847.7022267734053	(BioC_Products+BioC_all_Corr_Primecattle)*All_Weaners/100	Due to the allocation approach this is how much biogenic CO2 is being directed to the weaner product. in kg C. This is likely not the correct amount.
Anthelmintics	372.034	(CowsIntParasites_cows)+(Calves_weanedIntParasites_weaners)	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Number of doses of anthelmintic adimistered for internal parasites