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Cattle, prime beef, live weight, Mitchell {AU-QLD}| AusLCI, U

Unit process v00.00.000

This dataset represents the production of cattle for beef. The reference flow is 1000 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: 211276.381 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: Mitchell, Queensland, 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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Material
Contributor
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Last updated
26 Aug 2024
Reference ID
a82531b0-27f6-3552-aecf-7c8519cc144c

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Documentation

Quantitative reference
Cattle, prime beef, live weight, Mitchell {AU-QLD}| 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, Mitchell , biogenic C not balanced {AU-QLD}| AusLCI, U 76394.973 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, Mitchell {AU-QLD}| AusLCI, U 211276.381 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, Mitchell , biogenic C not balanced {AU-QLD}| AusLCI, U 13370.79 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 AmountUnitComment
Carbon correction factor {AU}| | AusLCI, U -174.38834315817803 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 3613.818 Item(s) (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Internal parasite treatments for the herd.
Cattle, prime beef, live weight, Mitchell {AU-QLD}| AusLCI, U 7224.84 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 22596.0 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 3613.818 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 52078.489 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 2112.807717 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 27755.83 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 20175.0 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 0.0 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 646.9411230000001 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 23254.024762996003 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 794.7324000000001 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 559025.0860040587 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 27755.83 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 27755.83 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 27755.83 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, Burdekin River, QLD, AU — 5972104.4768 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 Burdekin River, QLD, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Burdekin River, QLD, AU — 582.0952667600001 ML (2,1,1,1,1,na) Evaporative water loss from farm dam occuring in Burdekin River, QLD, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Condamine-Balonne, NSW and QLD, AU — 2193834.2975999997 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, Condamine-Balonne, NSW and QLD, AU — 213.83091431999998 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, Fitzroy River, QLD, AU — 274229.28719999996 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 Fitzroy River, QLD, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Fitzroy River, QLD, AU — 26.728864289999997 ML (2,1,1,1,1,na) Evaporative water loss from farm dam occuring in Fitzroy River, QLD, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Lake Eyre, NSW, QLD, NT and SA, AU — 394.99321673000003 ML (2,1,1,1,1,na) Evaporative water loss from farm dam occuring in Lake Eyre, NSW, QLD, NT and SA, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Lake Eyre, NSW, QLD, NT and SA, AU — 4052499.4664000003 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 Lake Eyre, NSW, QLD, NT and SA, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Paroo, NSW and QLD, AU — 89.0962143 ML (2,1,1,1,1,na) Evaporative water loss from farm dam occuring in Paroo, NSW and QLD, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Paroo, NSW and QLD, AU — 914097.624 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 Paroo, NSW and QLD, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Warrego, NSW and QLD, AU — 17063155.648000002 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 Warrego, NSW and QLD, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Warrego, NSW and QLD, AU — 1663.1293336 ML (2,1,1,1,1,na) Evaporative water loss from farm dam occuring in Warrego, NSW and QLD, AU catchment.

Elementary flow outputs

Flow CompartmentSub-compartment AmountUnitComment
Ammonia Emission to airunspecified 9829.715636363635 kg (2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.4. NH3 emission
Area grazed Non material emissions— 27755.83 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 51.148 kg (2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.4. N2O atmospheric deposition
Dinitrogen monoxide Emission to airunspecified 38.831 kg (2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.4. N2O leaching and runoff
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 487.119 kg (2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.4. N2O Dung and Urine
Enteric methane Non material emissions— 135460.123 kg —
Evaporative water loss Non material emissions— 2969873.81 m3 —
Livestock N2O all sources Non material emissions— 525950051.14800006 kg —
Methane, non-fossil Emission to airunspecified 135460.123 kg (2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.21. Enteric Methane
Methane, non-fossil Emission to airunspecified 1831.88478 kg (2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.21. Farm dam Methane
Methane, non-fossil Emission to airunspecified 8985.969 kg (2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.21. Manure Methane
Nitrogen Emission to waterground water 2221.7123469999997 kg (2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.5. N leached from Dung and Urine
Water intake of livestock Non material emissions— 30469.9208 m3 —
hydrogen ions Emissions to soil— 87.162070828 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
MAN_CH4 8985.969 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) kg Methane from manure. Calculated using GAFF Beef and Sheep based on NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
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
AF_Molasses — — (2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for molasses (kMol/kg) based on (Baldock et al. 2009).
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
Allocation 1.0 — Allocation switch, 1 = Economic alocation (default for AusLCI), 2 = Energy allocation, 3 = Mass allocation, 4 = Protein Allocation.
EN_Weaners 41449449.0 EN_lwt*1000*KG_Weaners (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total calorific value (kcal) of Weaners.
Hay 22596.0 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Total hay fed (kg)
oat_yield 100.0 — (1,1,1,1,1,na) Yield of grazing oats
KG_Weaners 13370.79 — (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_Actual_Primecattle 36461.866556599 kg_Primecattle*DM_Livecattle*CC_Livecattle The actual amount of biogenic carbon which should be allocated Prime cattle in kg C.
ATMOS_N2O 51.148 — (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)
BioC_all_Corr_Primecattle -174.38834315817803 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.
P_Weaners 4.33 — (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.
Tot_En 933230646.4 En_CulledBreeders+En_PrimeCattle+En_Weaners (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total calorific value (kcal) of co-products.
KG_CulledBreeders 76394.973 — (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_Cattle 0.34 — (2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for red meat (kMol/kg) based on (Slattery et al.).
BioC_all__corr_Weaners -1182.0551231083755 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.
Evap_water_loss_T 2969.87381 Evap_water_loss*HA_GRAZING (1,1,1,1,1,na) 1.05 Uncertainty. Total evaporative water loss from farm dams (ML/year)
BioC_all__corr_CulledBreeders 1060.2518403915383 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.
Vaccine_vol 2.0 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Volume of individual vaccine (ml)
ENT_CH4 135460.123 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) kg Methane from enteric fermentation. Calculated using GAFF Beef and Sheep based on NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
All_PrimeCattle 69.84600031801186 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. (%)
TRANS_cattle 794.7324000000001 PUR_Bulls/1000*KM_Cattle (2,1,1,1,1,na) 2 Uncertainty. Livestock transport for purchased cattle (t.km).
All_PrimeCattle_Eco 69.84600031801186 (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 (%)
EN_CulledBreeders 236824416.29999998 En_lwt*1000*KG_CulledBreeders (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total calorific value (kcal) of VulledBreeders.
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. -
DU_N2O 487.119 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) kg N2O from dung and urine. Calculated using GAFF Beef and Sheep based on NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
KM_Protein_pellets 600.0 — (3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for protein_pellets (km)
Water 30469920.8 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Total drinking water intake (L/year)
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
Protein_Pellets — — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Total protein pellets 20% CP fed (kg)
KM_fert 200.0 — (3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for fertiliser to farm (km)
Pro_Total 24083.371519999997 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)
P_CulledBreeders 2.633 — (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.
BioC_as_CH4_emissions 109708.48258499999 (Ent_CH4+Man_CH4+Dam_Ch4)*12/16 kg biogenic carbon emitted as methane from various sources.
Fuel_use 646.9411230000001 Fuel*Cows (1,1,1,1,1,na) 1.05 Uncertainty. Whole farm fuel use (L)
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_CulledBreeders 12123.916204975461 (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.
Copra — — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Total copra meal fed (kg)
AF_Copra — — (2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for copra (kMol/kg) based on web search unspecifed sources.
BioC_CurrentAll_PrimeCattle 36287.47821344082 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.
DAM_CH4 1831.88478 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)
DM_Livecattle 0.319 — (2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of cattle
All_Weaners_Mass 4.441501054417152 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).
NAAR_Cattle 102.35432896 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
HA_GRAZING 27755.83 — (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 3613.818 (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
DAM_CH4_HA 0.066 — (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).
KM_Lick 400.0 — (3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for dry and wet season lick (km)
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
AF_Hay -0.7 — (2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for hay (kMol/kg) based on (Slatery et al.).
F_Fitzroy_River_QLD 0.009 — Fraction of Fitzroy River, 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_Cottonseed 0.9 — (2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of cottonseed
All_Weaners 6.739337665301324 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. (%)
DMI 6543967.272 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) kg Dry matter intake. Calculated using GAFF Beef and Sheep based on NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
CC_Dry_mix — — (2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content 0.0 of dry season mix
All_Pro_Weaners 4.441501054417153 Pro_Weaners/Pro_Total*100 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to Weaners based on protein requirement (%)
DM_Copra 0.9 — (2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of copra
Elec_use 2112.807717 Elec*Cows (1,1,1,1,1,na) 1.05 Uncertainty. Whole farm electricity use (kWh)
KM_fuel 300.0 — (3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for fuel to farm (km)
ID_tags 20175.0 Calves_weaned*ID_tag (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Weight of ID tags total (g)
CC_Copra 0.45 — (2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content of 0.5 as DM
ID_tagbad 25.0 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Was listed as Total drinking water intake (L/year)
PUR_Bulls 7224.84 PUR_Bulls_WT*PUR_Bulls_NO (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total liveweight of replacement bulls purchased each year (kg)
CC_Wet_mix — — (2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content 0.0 of wet season mix
ID_tag 25.0 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Weight of plastic ID tag individual (g)
DM_Protein_Pellets 0.9 — (2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of protein pellets
F_Warrego_NSW_and_QLD 0.56 — Fraction of Warrego, NSW and QLD, AU catchment in livestock region.
BioC_inputs 9200.647662360001 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
BioC_CurrentAll_Weaners 3489.572690518376 (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.
N_Mineralised — Soil_C_loss*soil_NC_frac [Kg N] The amount of N released from SOC mineralisation - Calculated
Dry_mix 52078.489 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Total dry season lick (kg)
All_CulledBreeders_En 25.376836606638037 En_CulledBreeders/Tot_En*100 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to CulledBreeders based on energy content (%)
P_fert — — (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).
NAAR_Inputs -15.192258132 (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)
Pro_Weaners 1069.6632000000002 KG_Weaners*PC_Lwt*EFF_P_Lwt (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total protein requirement to produce Weaners (kg)
Fuel 0.647 — (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).
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.
KM_Molasses 400.0 — (3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for molasses (km)
Evap_water_loss 0.107 — (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.
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).
PUR_Bulls_WT 630.0 — (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).
Wet_mix — — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Total wet season lick (kg)
KM_Copra 600.0 — (3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for copra (km)
All_PrimeCattle_Mass 70.18166233894482 kg_PrimeCattle/ProductTotal*100 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Mass allocation fraction for Prime cattle (%)
BioC_Actual_Weaners 2307.5175674100005 kg_Weaners*DM_Livecattle*CC_Livecattle The actual amount of biogenic carbon which should be allocated weaners in kg C.
Pro_CulledBreeders 6111.59784 KG_CulledBreeders*PC_Lwt*EFF_P_Lwt (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total protein requirement to produce Culled Breeders (kg)
BioC_Actual_CulledBreeders 13184.168045367 kg_Culledbreeders*DM_Livecattle*CC_Livecattle The actual amount of biogenic carbon which should be allocated culled breeders in kg C.
All_CulledBreeders_Mass 25.376836606638044 kg_CulledBreeders/ProductTotal*100 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Mass allocation fraction for Culled cattle (%)
Cattle 2417.83 — (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).
All_PrimeCattle_En 70.18166233894482 En_PrimeCattle/Tot_En*100 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to PrimeCattle based on energy content (%)
Cows 999.909 — (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).
DeterminingProd 211276.381 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.
ProductTotal 301042.144 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)
AF_Cottonseed — — (2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for cottonseed (kMol/kg) based on (Baldock et al. 2009).
CC_Cottonseed 0.45 — (2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content of 0.4 as DM, NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
KG_PrimeCattle 211276.381 — (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).
Pro_PrimeCattle 16902.11048 KG_PrimeCattle*PC_Lwt*EFF_P_Lwt (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total protein requirement to produce PrimeCattle (kg)
LEACH_N2O 38.831 — (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.
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).
All_Pro_CulledBreeders 25.376836606638044 Pro_CulledBreeders/Pro_Total*100 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to Culled Breeders based on protein requirement (%)
EFN_Leach 0.011 — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Emissions factor for proportion of N leached released as N2O.
P_PrimeCattle 2.84 — (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.
F_Paroo_NSW_and_QLD 0.03 — Fraction of Paroo, NSW and QLD, AU catchment in livestock region.
F_Burdekin_River_QLD 0.196 — Fraction of Burdekin River, QLD, AU catchment in livestock region.
DM_Hay 0.88 — (2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of hay
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).
DM_Molasses 0.825 — (2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of molasses
Tot_P_fert — P_fert*HA_Grazing*PR_fert (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total fertiliser applied as single superphosphate (kg)
Calves_weaned 807.0 — (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).
TotalTkmRoad 23254.024762996003 (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.
AF_Protein_Pellets — — (2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for protein pellets (kMol/kg) based on (Baldock et al. 2009).
Molasses — — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Total molasses fed (kg)
N_LeachGW 2221.7123469999997 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).
Cottonseed — — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Total cottonseed fed (kg)
BioC_Pasture_nett 152461.387092016 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.
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).
All_CulledBreeders_Eco 23.414662016686812 (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
All_Weaners_En 4.441501054417152 En_Weaners/Tot_En*100 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to Weaners based on energy content (%)
CC_Hay 0.4 — (2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content of 0.4 as DM, NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
F_Condamine_Balonne_NSW_and_QLD 0.072 — Fraction of Condamine-Balonne, NSW and QLD, AU catchment in livestock region.
Soil_C_loss — — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Change in Soil Orgnic Carbon t C/ha/year in 0-30cm layer
DM_Wet_mix 0.9 — (2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of wet season mix
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).
KM_Cottonseed 400.0 — (3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for cottonseed (km)
All_CulledBreeders 23.414662016686812 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. (%)
CC_Molasses 0.347 — (2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content of 0.42 as DM
F_Lake_Eyre_NSW_QLD_NT_and_SA 0.133 — Fraction of Lake Eyre, NSW, QLD, NT and SA, AU catchment in livestock region.
Elec 2.113 — (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).
All_Pro_PrimeCattle 70.18166233894482 Pro_PrimeCattle/Pro_Total*100 (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to Prime Cattle based on protein requirement (%)
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.)
EN_PrimeCattle 654956781.1 EN_lwt*1000*KG_PrimeCattle (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total calorific value (kcal) of PrimeCattle.
Sorghum_graz — — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Total area of forage sorghum grazed (ha)
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
KM_Hay 100.0 — (3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for hay (km)
Oats_graz — — (2,1,1,1,1,na) Total area of forage oats grazed (ha)
DM_Dry_mix 0.9 — (2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of dry season mix
TotN_LeachGW 2246.423 — (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_Products 51953.552169376 Producttotal*DM_Livecattle*CC_Livecattle kg biogenic carbon in outputs of all products in the inventory before applying allocation
All_Weaners_Eco 6.739337665301324 (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 (%)
PUR_Bulls_NO 11.468 — (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).
Vaccine 3613.818 (Cows+Calves_weaned)*Vaccine_vol (2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Vaccine administered for clostridial and reproductive diseases (ml).
CC_Protein_Pellets 0.405 — (2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content of 0.5 as DM