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Cattle, prime beef, live weight, Northern Tablelands {AU-NSW}| heavy grassfed | 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: 33684.285 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: Northern Tablelands, 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

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Last updated
26 Aug 2024
Reference ID
87f63155-1a26-3c01-a248-d63ff49d1329

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Documentation

Quantitative reference
Cattle, prime beef, live weight, Northern Tablelands {AU-NSW}| heavy grassfed | 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 AmountUnitComment
Cattle, manufacturing beef, live weight, Northern Tablelands , biogenic C not balanced {AU-NSW}| heavy grassfed | AusLCI, U 7800.087 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, Northern Tablelands {AU-NSW}| heavy grassfed | AusLCI, U 33684.285 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.

Technical inputs

Flow AmountUnitComment
Carbon correction factor {AU}| | AusLCI, U 377.7619752239707 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 372.908 Item(s) (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Internal parasite treatments for the herd.
Cattle, prime beef, live weight, Northern Tablelands {AU-NSW}| heavy grassfed | AusLCI, U 765.0 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 3017.346 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 372.908 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 protein pellets 20% CP for herd.
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.
Dry season mix, 30% urea, 5.5% P, at production {AU}| | AusLCI, U 3224.875 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 191.766772 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 485.824 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 1899.8000000000002 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 2155.25 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 4858.24 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 64.757624 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 2579.6515212480003 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 84.15 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 AmountUnitComment
Carbon dioxide unspecified 67546.44358875601 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 485.824 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 485.824 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 485.824 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, Border Rivers, NSW and QLD, AU — 656112.1120140001 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 Border Rivers, NSW and QLD, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Border Rivers, NSW and QLD, AU — 13.143482496000003 ML (2,1,1,1,1,na) Evaporative water loss from farm dam occuring in Border Rivers, NSW and QLD, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Condamine-Balonne, NSW and QLD, AU — 0.0012002281920000001 ML (2,1,1,1,1,na) Evaporative water loss from farm dam occuring in Condamine-Balonne, NSW and QLD, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Condamine-Balonne, NSW and QLD, AU — 59.9144293905 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 Condamine-Balonne, NSW and QLD, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Gwydir, NSW, AU — 5.1157267200000005 ML (2,1,1,1,1,na) Evaporative water loss from farm dam occuring in Gwydir, NSW, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Gwydir, NSW, AU — 255372.97773 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 Gwydir, NSW, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, NE Coast other than Burd., Fitz.,..., QLD, AU — 68.1649409787 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 NE Coast other than Burd., Fitz.,..., QLD, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, NE Coast other than Burd., Fitz.,..., QLD, AU — 0.0013655055168000003 ML (2,1,1,1,1,na) Evaporative water loss from farm dam occuring in NE Coast other than Burd., Fitz.,..., QLD, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Namoi, NSW, AU — 1.692124992 ML (2,1,1,1,1,na) Evaporative water loss from farm dam occuring in Namoi, NSW, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Namoi, NSW, AU — 84469.52340299998 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 Namoi, NSW, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, South East Coast, NSW, VIC and SA, AU — 968452.907853 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 — 19.400409792 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 CompartmentSub-compartment AmountUnitComment
Ammonia Emission to airunspecified 1240.725818181818 kg (2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.4. NH3 emission
Area grazed Non material emissions— 485.824 ha —
Carbon dioxide, from soil or biomass stock Emission to airlow 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 airunspecified 35.577 kg (2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.4. N2O leaching and runoff
Dinitrogen monoxide Emission to airunspecified 61.49 kg (2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.4. N2O Dung and Urine
Dinitrogen monoxide Emission to airlow 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 airunspecified 6.456 kg (2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.4. N2O atmospheric deposition
Enteric methane Non material emissions— 15264.913 kg —
Evaporative water loss Non material emissions— 39351.744000000006 m3 —
Livestock N2O all sources Non material emissions— 97067006.456 kg —
Methane, non-fossil Emission to airunspecified 936.706 kg (2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.21. Manure Methane
Methane, non-fossil Emission to airunspecified 15264.913 kg (2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.21. Enteric Methane
Methane, non-fossil Emission to airunspecified 407.120512 kg (2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.21. Farm dam Methane
Nitrogen Emission to waterground water 2035.555844 kg (2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.5. N leached from Dung and Urine
Water intake of livestock Non material emissions— 1964.4075209999999 m3 —
hydrogen ions Emissions to soil— 12.031242780000001 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

NameValueFormulaDescription
BioC_CurrentAll_CulledBreeders 1019.4652220391208 (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.
DU_N2O 61.49 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) kg N2O from dung and urine. Calculated using GAFF Beef and Sheep based on NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
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).
Pro_Total 3318.7497600000006 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)
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. -
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
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
MAN_CH4 936.706 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) kg Methane from manure. Calculated using GAFF Beef and Sheep based on NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
DeterminingProd 33684.285 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.
BioC_all_Corr_Primecattle 377.7619752239707 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.
PUR_Bulls_NO 0.85 — (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).
AF_Protein_Pellets — — (2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for protein pellets (kMol/kg) based on (Baldock et al. 2009).
ATMOS_N2O 6.456 — (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)
F_South_East_Coast_NSW_VIC_and_SA 0.493 — Fraction of South East Coast, NSW, VIC and SA, AU catchment in livestock region.
Sorghum_graz — — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Total area of forage sorghum grazed (ha)
BiogenicCO2 — Soil_C_loss*3.667*HA_GRAZING*0 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.5 Uncertainty. Total SOC change in units of CO2-eq
All_CulledBreeders_En 18.80247096424649 En_CulledBreeders/Tot_En*100 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to CulledBreeders based on energy content (%)
DM_Dry_mix 0.9 — (2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of dry season mix
KG_PrimeCattle 33684.285 — (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).
KM_Molasses 400.0 — (3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for molasses (km)
TRANS_cattle 84.15 PUR_Bulls/1000*KM_Cattle (2,1,1,1,1,na) 2 Uncertainty. Livestock transport for purchased cattle (t.km).
F_Gwydir_NSW 0.13 — Fraction of Gwydir, NSW, AU catchment in livestock region.
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_Copra — — (2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for copra (kMol/kg) based on web search unspecifed sources.
F_NE_Coast_other_than_Burd_Fitz_QLD 0.0000347 — Fraction of NE Coast other than Burd., Fitz.,..., QLD, AU catchment in livestock region.
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).
BioC_as_CH4_emissions 12456.554634 (Ent_CH4+Man_CH4+Dam_Ch4)*12/16 kg biogenic carbon emitted as methane from various sources.
All_PrimeCattle_En 81.19752903575352 En_PrimeCattle/Tot_En*100 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to PrimeCattle based on energy content (%)
LEACH_N2O 35.577 — (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.
Calves_weaned 86.21 — (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).
F_Border_Rivers_NSW_and_QLD 0.334 — Fraction of Border Rivers, NSW and QLD, AU catchment in livestock region.
F_Condamine_Balonne_NSW_and_QLD 0.0000305 — Fraction of Condamine-Balonne, NSW and QLD, AU catchment in livestock region.
PR_fert 1.0 — (1,1,1,1,1,na) - Proportion of grazed area fertilsed with single superphosphate
DM_Hay 0.88 — (2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of hay
P_Weaners — — (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.
Elec_use 191.766772 Elec*Cows (1,1,1,1,1,na) 1.05 Uncertainty. Whole farm electricity use (kWh)
CC_Dry_mix — — (2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content 0.0 of dry season mix
Oats_graz 18.998 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Total area of forage oats grazed (ha)
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).
Molasses — — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Total molasses fed (kg)
CC_Cottonseed 0.45 — (2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content of 0.4 as DM, NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
Fuel_use 64.757624 Fuel*Cows (1,1,1,1,1,na) 1.05 Uncertainty. Whole farm fuel use (L)
All_CulledBreeders_Mass 18.80247096424649 kg_CulledBreeders/ProductTotal*100 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Mass allocation fraction for Culled cattle (%)
KM_Cottonseed 400.0 — (3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for cottonseed (km)
All_Weaners_Eco — (KG_Weaners*P_Weaners)/(P_PrimeCattle*KG_PrimeCattle+P_CulledBreeders*KG_CulledBreeders+KG_Weaners*P_weaners)*100 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Economic allocation fraction for Weaned cattle - default for AusLCI (%)
Dry_mix 3224.875 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Total dry season lick (kg)
ID_tags 2155.25 Calves_weaned*ID_tag (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Weight of ID tags total (g)
Evap_water_loss_T 39.351744000000004 Evap_water_loss*HA_GRAZING (1,1,1,1,1,na) 1.05 Uncertainty. Total evaporative water loss from farm dams (ML/year)
All_PrimeCattle_Mass 81.19752903575352 kg_PrimeCattle/ProductTotal*100 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Mass allocation fraction for Prime cattle (%)
DMI 737435.418 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) kg Dry matter intake. Calculated using GAFF Beef and Sheep based on NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
EN_CulledBreeders 24180269.700000003 En_lwt*1000*KG_CulledBreeders (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total calorific value (kcal) of VulledBreeders.
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.)
Pro_Weaners — KG_Weaners*PC_Lwt*EFF_P_Lwt (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total protein requirement to produce Weaners (kg)
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).
DM_Wet_mix 0.9 — (2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of wet season mix
AF_Cottonseed — — (2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for cottonseed (kMol/kg) based on (Baldock et al. 2009).
DM_Molasses 0.825 — (2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of molasses
NAAR_Inputs -2.0734437 (Dry_mix*AF_Dry_mix+Wet_mix*AF_Wet_mix+Hay*AF_Hay+Copra*AF_Copra+Molasses*AF_Molasses+Cottonseed*AF_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)
DAM_CH4 407.120512 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)
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).
CC_Protein_Pellets 0.405 — (2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content of 0.5 as DM
All_Weaners — 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. (%)
PUR_Bulls 765.0 PUR_Bulls_WT*PUR_Bulls_NO (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total liveweight of replacement bulls purchased each year (kg)
All_CulledBreeders 13.525973030979666 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. (%)
Cottonseed — — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Total cottonseed fed (kg)
F_Namoi_NSW 0.043 — Fraction of Namoi, NSW, AU catchment in livestock region.
KM_fuel 300.0 — (3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for fuel to farm (km)
AF_Hay -0.7 — (2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for hay (kMol/kg) based on (Slatery et al.).
ENT_CH4 15264.913 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) kg Methane from enteric fermentation. Calculated using GAFF Beef and Sheep based on NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
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).
Water 1964407.521 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Total drinking water intake (L/year)
Pro_CulledBreeders 624.0069600000002 KG_CulledBreeders*PC_Lwt*EFF_P_Lwt (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total protein requirement to produce Culled Breeders (kg)
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
BioC_Products 7159.331435388001 Producttotal*DM_Livecattle*CC_Livecattle kg biogenic carbon in outputs of all products in the inventory before applying allocation
KG_Weaners — — (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).
Tot_En 128601553.20000002 En_CulledBreeders+En_PrimeCattle+En_Weaners (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total calorific value (kcal) of co-products.
KM_Protein_pellets 600.0 — (3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for protein_pellets (km)
Tot_P_fert 4858.24 P_fert*HA_Grazing*PR_fert (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total fertiliser applied as single superphosphate (kg)
DM_Copra 0.9 — (2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of copra
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
BioC_CurrentAll_Weaners — (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.
BioC_all__corr_CulledBreeders 326.66599233387933 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.
KM_fert 200.0 — (3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for fertiliser to farm (km)
KM_Hay 100.0 — (3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for hay (km)
Evap_water_loss 0.081 — (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.
DM_Protein_Pellets 0.9 — (2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of protein pellets
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).
CC_Hay 0.4 — (2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content of 0.4 as DM, NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
CC_Copra 0.45 — (2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content of 0.5 as DM
EFN_Leach 0.011 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Emissions factor for proportion of N leached released as N2O.
DM_Livecattle 0.319 — (2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of cattle
BioC_all__corr_Weaners — 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.
AF_Molasses — — (2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for molasses (kMol/kg) based on (Baldock et al. 2009).
BioC_Pasture_nett 18421.757342388002 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.
Allocation 1.0 — Allocation switch, 1 = Economic alocation (default for AusLCI), 2 = Energy allocation, 3 = Mass allocation, 4 = Protein Allocation.
Protein_Pellets — — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Total protein pellets 20% CP fed (kg)
KG_CulledBreeders 7800.087 — (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).
All_PrimeCattle 86.47402696902033 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. (%)
All_PrimeCattle_Eco 86.47402696902033 (P_PrimeCattle*KG_PrimeCattle)/(P_PrimeCattle*KG_PrimeCattle+P_CulledBreeders*KG_CulledBreeders+KG_Weaners*P_weaners)*100 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Economic allocation fraction for Prime cattle - default for AusLCI (%)
Vaccine_vol 2.0 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Volume of individual vaccine (ml)
AF_Cattle 0.34 — (2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for red meat (kMol/kg) based on (Slattery et al.).
ProductTotal 41484.372 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)
All_CulledBreeders_Eco 13.525973030979666 (KG_CulledBreeders*P_CulledBreeders)/(P_PrimeCattle*KG_PrimeCattle+P_CulledBreeders*KG_CulledBreeders+KG_Weaners*P_weaners)*100 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Economic allocation fraction for Culled cattle (%) - default for AusLCI
TotN_LeachGW 2058.196 — (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)
BioC_Actual_CulledBreeders 1346.1312143730001 kg_Culledbreeders*DM_Livecattle*CC_Livecattle The actual amount of biogenic carbon which should be allocated culled breeders in kg C.
BioC_Actual_Weaners — kg_Weaners*DM_Livecattle*CC_Livecattle The actual amount of biogenic carbon which should be allocated weaners in kg C.
N_Mineralised — Soil_C_loss*soil_NC_frac [Kg N] The amount of N released from SOC mineralisation - Calculated
ID_tag 25.0 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Weight of plastic ID tag individual (g)
EN_PrimeCattle 104421283.50000001 EN_lwt*1000*KG_PrimeCattle (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total calorific value (kcal) of PrimeCattle.
P_PrimeCattle 4.086 — (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.
All_Pro_PrimeCattle 81.19752903575352 Pro_PrimeCattle/Pro_Total*100 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to Prime Cattle based on protein requirement (%)
EN_Weaners — EN_lwt*1000*KG_Weaners (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total calorific value (kcal) of Weaners.
All_Pro_Weaners — Pro_Weaners/Pro_Total*100 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to Weaners based on protein requirement (%)
Wet_mix — — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Total wet season lick (kg)
DAM_CH4_HA 0.838 — (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).
All_Pro_CulledBreeders 18.80247096424649 Pro_CulledBreeders/Pro_Total*100 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to Culled Breeders based on protein requirement (%)
N_LeachGW 2035.555844 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).
Pro_PrimeCattle 2694.7428000000004 KG_PrimeCattle*PC_Lwt*EFF_P_Lwt (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total protein requirement to produce PrimeCattle (kg)
Soil_C_loss — — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Change in Soil Orgnic Carbon t C/ha/year in 0-30cm layer
EFN_mineral 0.004 — (1,3,2,1,1,na) - [kgN2O-N/kgN] emission factor for N emissions from mineralisations - NIR 2023 (DCCEEW, 2025).
HA_GRAZING 485.824 — (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).
Anthelmintics 372.908 (Cows*IntParasites_cows)+(Calves_weaned*IntParasites_weaners) (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Number of doses of anthelmintic adimistered for internal parasites
CC_Wet_mix — — (2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content 0.0 of wet season mix
All_Weaners_Mass — kg_Weaners/ProductTotal*100 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Mass allocation fraction for Weaner cattle (%)
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).
oat_yield 100.0 — (1,1,1,1,1,na) Yield of grazing oats
DM_Cottonseed 0.9 — (2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of cottonseed
BioC_Actual_Primecattle 5813.200221015 kg_Primecattle*DM_Livecattle*CC_Livecattle The actual amount of biogenic carbon which should be allocated Prime cattle in kg C.
ID_tagbad 25.0 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Was listed as Total drinking water intake (L/year)
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.
BioC_CurrentAll_PrimeCattle 6190.962196238971 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.
Copra — — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Total copra meal fed (kg)
All_Weaners_En — En_Weaners/Tot_En*100 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to Weaners based on energy content (%)
Cattle 268.045 — (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).
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_Cattle 14.104686480000002 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
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
TotalTkmRoad 2579.6515212480003 (Dry_mix*KM_Lick+Wet_mix*KM_LICK+Hay*KM_Hay+Copra*KM_Copra+Molasses*KM_Molasses+Cottonseed*KM_Cottonseed+Protein_Pellets*KM_Protein_Pellets+Tot_P_fert*KM_fert+Fuel_use*0.84*KM_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.
Cows 100.244 — (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).
Hay 3017.346 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Total hay fed (kg)
BioC_inputs 1194.128727 Hay*DM_hay*CC_Hay+Copra*DM_Copra*CC_Copra+Molasses*DM_Molasses*CC_Molasses+Cottonseed*DM_Cottonseed*CC_Cottonseed+Protein_Pellets*DM_Protein_Pellets*CC_Protein_Pellets+PUR_Bulls*DM_Livecattle*CC_Livecattle kg biogenic carbon inputs from feeds
Vaccine 372.908 (Cows+Calves_weaned)*Vaccine_vol (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Vaccine administered for clostridial and reproductive diseases (ml).
CC_Molasses 0.347 — (2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content of 0.42 as DM
KM_Copra 600.0 — (3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for copra (km)
KM_Lick 400.0 — (3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for dry and wet season lick (km)