Cattle, prime beef, live weight, Pastoral Zone {AU-WA}| 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: 24116.755 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: Pastoral Zone, Western Australia, 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: baa45f61-8501-3b86-a2b3-5aa2d09077c4

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Documentation

Quantitative reference: Cattle, prime beef, live weight, Pastoral Zone {AU-WA}| 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, Pastoral Zone , biogenic C not balanced {AU-WA}\| AusLCI, U	5943.568	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, Pastoral Zone {AU-WA}\| AusLCI, U	24116.755	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	Amount	Unit	Comment
Carbon correction factor {AU}\| \| AusLCI, U	296.68787449437787	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	361.746	Item(s)	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Internal parasite treatments for the herd.
Cattle, prime beef, live weight, Pastoral Zone {AU-WA}\| AusLCI, U	761.53	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	3131.31	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	361.746	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	2780.502	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	202.95783000000003	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	44333.869	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	2023.575	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	64.45485000000001	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	1441.5744222	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	83.7683	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	48646.282994455665	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	44333.869	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	44333.869	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	44333.869	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, Esperance Coast, WA, AU	—	3.8570466029999997	ML	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Evaporative water loss from farm dam occuring in Esperance Coast, WA, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Esperance Coast, WA, AU	—	2391.470523	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 Esperance Coast, WA, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Moore Hill rivers, WA, AU	—	7.714093205999999	ML	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Evaporative water loss from farm dam occuring in Moore Hill rivers, WA, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Moore Hill rivers, WA, AU	—	4782.941046	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 Moore Hill rivers, WA, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, North Western Plateau, WA and NT, AU	—	270236.169099	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 North Western Plateau, WA and NT, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, North Western Plateau, WA and NT, AU	—	435.84626613899997	ML	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Evaporative water loss from farm dam occuring in North Western Plateau, WA and NT, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, South Western Plateau, WA, AU	—	3263.0614261379997	ML	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Evaporative water loss from farm dam occuring in South Western Plateau, WA, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, South Western Plateau, WA, AU	—	2023184.062458	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 Western Plateau, WA, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Swan Coast, WA, AU	—	38263.528368	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 Swan Coast, WA, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Swan Coast, WA, AU	—	61.712745647999995	ML	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Evaporative water loss from farm dam occuring in Swan Coast, WA, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Timor Sea, NT and WA, AU	—	84.85502526599998	ML	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Evaporative water loss from farm dam occuring in Timor Sea, NT and WA, AU catchment.
Water, unspecified natural origin, Timor Sea, NT and WA, AU	—	52612.351506	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 Timor Sea, NT and WA, AU catchment.

Elementary flow outputs

Flow	Compartment	Sub-compartment	Amount	Unit	Comment
Ammonia	Emission to air	unspecified	974.7461818181818	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.4. NH3 emission
Area grazed	Non material emissions	—	44333.869	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	5.072	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.4. N2O atmospheric deposition
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	48.308	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.4. N2O Dung and Urine
Dinitrogen monoxide	Emission to air	unspecified	0.091	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.4. N2O leaching and runoff
Enteric methane	Non material emissions	—	11529.624	kg	—
Evaporative water loss	Non material emissions	—	3857046.6029999997	m3	—
Livestock N2O all sources	Non material emissions	—	48399005.072	kg	—
Methane, non-fossil	Emission to air	unspecified	11529.624	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.21. Enteric Methane
Methane, non-fossil	Emission to air	unspecified	577.416	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.21. Manure Methane
Methane, non-fossil	Emission to air	unspecified	310.337083	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.21. Farm dam Methane
Nitrogen	Emission to water	ground water	5.195217	kg	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Uncertainty 1.5. N leached from Dung and Urine
Water intake of livestock	Non material emissions	—	2391.470523	m3	—
hydrogen ions	Emissions to soil	—	8.061958844000003	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
Vaccine	361.746	(Cows+Calves_weaned)*Vaccine_vol	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Vaccine administered for clostridial and reproductive diseases (ml).
DAM_CH4	310.337083	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)
KM_Lick	400.0	—	(3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for dry and wet season lick (km)
Hay	3131.31	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total hay fed (kg)
EN_Weaners	—	EN_lwt1000KG_Weaners	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total calorific value (kcal) of Weaners.
CC_Cottonseed	0.45	—	(2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content of 0.4 as DM, NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
TotalTkmRoad	1441.5744222	(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.
oat_yield	100.0	—	(1,1,1,1,1,na) Yield of grazing oats
F_Moore_Hill_rivers_WA	0.002	—	Fraction of Moore Hill rivers, WA, AU catchment in livestock region.
Cows	99.93	—	(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).
All_PrimeCattle_En	80.22786381902817	En_PrimeCattle/Tot_En*100	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to PrimeCattle based on energy content (%)
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).
Calves_weaned	80.943	—	(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_fert	200.0	—	(3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for fertiliser to farm (km)
All_Pro_CulledBreeders	19.772136180971838	Pro_CulledBreeders/Pro_Total*100	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to Culled Breeders based on protein requirement (%)
BioC_all_Corr_Primecattle	296.68787449437787	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.
Pro_CulledBreeders	475.48544000000004	KG_CulledBreedersPC_LwtEFF_P_Lwt	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total protein requirement to produce Culled Breeders (kg)
KM_Hay	100.0	—	(3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for hay (km)
Pro_PrimeCattle	1929.3404000000003	KG_PrimeCattlePC_LwtEFF_P_Lwt	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total protein requirement to produce PrimeCattle (kg)
DM_Molasses	0.825	—	(2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of molasses
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).
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
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.)
EFN_Leach	0.011	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Emissions factor for proportion of N leached released as N2O.
BiogenicCO2	—	Soil_C_loss3.667HA_GRAZING*0	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.5 Uncertainty. Total SOC change in units of CO2-eq
CC_Dry_mix	—	—	(2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content 0.0 of dry season mix
Wet_mix	—	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total wet season lick (kg)
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).
DM_Hay	0.88	—	(2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of hay
Sorghum_graz	—	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total area of forage sorghum grazed (ha)
TRANS_cattle	83.7683	PUR_Bulls/1000*KM_Cattle	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 2 Uncertainty. Livestock transport for purchased cattle (t.km).
EN_PrimeCattle	74761940.5	EN_lwt1000KG_PrimeCattle	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total calorific value (kcal) of PrimeCattle.
Elec_use	202.95783000000003	Elec*Cows	(1,1,1,1,1,na) 1.05 Uncertainty. Whole farm electricity use (kWh)
AF_Cottonseed	—	—	(2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for cottonseed (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
KM_Protein_pellets	600.0	—	(3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for protein_pellets (km)
Tot_P_fert	—	P_fertHA_GrazingPR_fert	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total fertiliser applied as single superphosphate (kg)
Water	2391470.523	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total drinking water intake (L/year)
BioC_CurrentAll_PrimeCattle	4458.733335639378	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.
DMI	556986.67	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) kg Dry matter intake. Calculated using GAFF Beef and Sheep based on NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
BioC_CurrentAll_CulledBreeders	770.7411722635537	(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.
N_Mineralised	—	Soil_C_loss*soil_NC_frac	[Kg N] The amount of N released from SOC mineralisation - Calculated
ProductTotal	30060.323	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)
F_Esperance_Coast_WA	0.001	—	Fraction of Esperance Coast, WA, AU catchment in livestock region.
AF_Molasses	—	—	(2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for molasses (kMol/kg) based on (Baldock et al. 2009).
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).
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_Inputs	-2.158550976	(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)
DU_N2O	48.308	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) kg N2O from dung and urine. Calculated using GAFF Beef and Sheep based on NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
ENT_CH4	11529.624	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) kg Methane from enteric fermentation. Calculated using GAFF Beef and Sheep based on NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
BioC_Products	5187.780483017001	ProducttotalDM_LivecattleCC_Livecattle	kg biogenic carbon in outputs of all products in the inventory before applying allocation
Molasses	—	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total molasses fed (kg)
DAM_CH4_HA	0.007	—	(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).
ID_tagbad	25.0	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Was listed as Total drinking water intake (L/year)
Vaccine_vol	2.0	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Volume of individual vaccine (ml)
Dry_mix	2780.502	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total dry season lick (kg)
Pro_Total	2404.8258400000004	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)
PUR_Bulls	761.53	PUR_Bulls_WT*PUR_Bulls_NO	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total liveweight of replacement bulls purchased each year (kg)
Fuel_use	64.45485000000001	Fuel*Cows	(1,1,1,1,1,na) 1.05 Uncertainty. Whole farm fuel use (L)
Copra	—	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total copra meal fed (kg)
PR_fert	1.0	—	(1,1,1,1,1,na) - Proportion of grazed area fertilsed with single superphosphate
All_Weaners_Mass	—	kg_Weaners/ProductTotal*100	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Mass allocation fraction for Weaner cattle (%)
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.
KM_Copra	600.0	—	(3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for copra (km)
Anthelmintics	361.746	(CowsIntParasites_cows)+(Calves_weanedIntParasites_weaners)	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Number of doses of anthelmintic adimistered for internal parasites
PUR_Bulls_NO	0.989	—	(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).
BioC_all__corr_CulledBreeders	254.99384960844634	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.
Oats_graz	—	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total area of forage oats grazed (ha)
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
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. (%)
BioC_Actual_CulledBreeders	1025.735021872	kg_CulledbreedersDM_LivecattleCC_Livecattle	The actual amount of biogenic carbon which should be allocated culled breeders in kg C.
F_Timor_Sea_NT_and_WA	0.022	—	Fraction of Timor Sea, NT and WA, AU catchment in livestock region.
F_South_Western_Plateau_WA	0.846	—	Fraction of South Western Plateau, WA, AU catchment in livestock region.
All_Pro_Weaners	—	Pro_Weaners/Pro_Total*100	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to Weaners based on protein requirement (%)
All_CulledBreeders_Eco	14.053161072722165	(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
TotN_LeachGW	5.253	—	(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)
All_CulledBreeders	14.053161072722165	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. (%)
Fuel	0.645	—	(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).
All_Weaners_Eco	—	(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 (%)
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).
DM_Livecattle	0.319	—	(2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of cattle
DM_Copra	0.9	—	(2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of copra
Soil_C_loss	—	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Change in Soil Orgnic Carbon t C/ha/year in 0-30cm layer
Evap_water_loss	0.087	—	(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.
Protein_Pellets	—	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total protein pellets 20% CP 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 (%)
AF_Protein_Pellets	—	—	(2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for protein pellets (kMol/kg) based on (Baldock et al. 2009).
All_PrimeCattle_Eco	85.94683892727784	(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 (%)
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.
All_Pro_PrimeCattle	80.22786381902816	Pro_PrimeCattle/Pro_Total*100	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to Prime Cattle based on protein requirement (%)
Cottonseed	—	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Total cottonseed fed (kg)
CC_Molasses	0.347	—	(2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content of 0.42 as DM
F_North_Western_Plateau_WA_and_NT	0.113	—	Fraction of North Western Plateau, WA and NT, AU catchment in livestock region.
BioC_inputs	1233.64520587	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
KM_Molasses	400.0	—	(3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for molasses (km)
All_PrimeCattle_Mass	80.22786381902817	kg_PrimeCattle/ProductTotal*100	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Mass allocation fraction for Prime cattle (%)
KM_fuel	300.0	—	(3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for fuel to farm (km)
DM_Wet_mix	0.9	—	(2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of wet season mix
Evap_water_loss_T	3857.046603	Evap_water_loss*HA_GRAZING	(1,1,1,1,1,na) 1.05 Uncertainty. Total evaporative water loss from farm dams (ML/year)
DM_Cottonseed	0.9	—	(2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of cottonseed
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.
EN_CulledBreeders	18425060.8	En_lwt1000KG_CulledBreeders	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total calorific value (kcal) of VulledBreeders.
CC_Copra	0.45	—	(2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content of 0.5 as DM
CC_Protein_Pellets	0.405	—	(2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content of 0.5 as DM
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
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).
AF_Copra	—	—	(2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for copra (kMol/kg) based on web search unspecifed sources.
HA_GRAZING	44333.869	—	(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).
BioC_as_CH4_emissions	9313.03281225	(Ent_CH4+Man_CH4+Dam_Ch4)*12/16	kg biogenic carbon emitted as methane from various sources.
LEACH_N2O	0.091	—	(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.
Elec	2.031	—	(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).
AF_Hay	-0.7	—	(2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for hay (kMol/kg) based on (Slatery et al.).
Cattle	191.993	—	(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_CulledBreeders_En	19.77213618097184	En_CulledBreeders/Tot_En*100	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Allocation to CulledBreeders based on energy content (%)
CC_Wet_mix	—	—	(2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content 0.0 of wet season mix
KG_CulledBreeders	5943.568	—	(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).
DM_Dry_mix	0.9	—	(2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of dry season mix
Pro_Weaners	—	KG_WeanersPC_LwtEFF_P_Lwt	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total protein requirement to produce Weaners (kg)
All_CulledBreeders_Mass	19.77213618097184	kg_CulledBreeders/ProductTotal*100	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Mass allocation fraction for Culled cattle (%)
CC_Hay	0.4	—	(2,3,1,1,1,na) Carbon content of 0.4 as DM, NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
DM_Protein_Pellets	0.9	—	(2,3,3,1,1,na) - Dry matter fraction of protein pellets
ID_tags	2023.575	Calves_weaned*ID_tag	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Weight of ID tags total (g)
P_PrimeCattle	4.16	—	(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.
ID_tag	25.0	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) Weight of plastic ID tag individual (g)
BioC_Pasture_nett	13267.168089397	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.
N_LeachGW	5.195217	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).
AF_Cattle	0.34	—	(2,2,2,2,1,na) - Acid factor for red meat (kMol/kg) based on (Slattery et al.).
DeterminingProd	24116.755	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.
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. -
Tot_En	93187001.3	En_CulledBreeders+En_PrimeCattle+En_Weaners	(2,1,1,1,1,na) 1.07 Uncertainty. Total calorific value (kcal) of co-products.
KG_PrimeCattle	24116.755	—	(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).
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
Allocation	1.0	—	Allocation switch, 1 = Economic alocation (default for AusLCI), 2 = Energy allocation, 3 = Mass allocation, 4 = Protein Allocation.
BioC_Actual_Weaners	—	kg_WeanersDM_LivecattleCC_Livecattle	The actual amount of biogenic carbon which should be allocated weaners in kg C.
All_PrimeCattle	85.94683892727784	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. (%)
BioC_Actual_Primecattle	4162.045461145	kg_PrimecattleDM_LivecattleCC_Livecattle	The actual amount of biogenic carbon which should be allocated Prime cattle in kg C.
F_Swan_Coast_WA	0.016	—	Fraction of Swan Coast, WA, AU catchment in livestock region.
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).
PUR_Bulls_WT	770.0	—	(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).
MAN_CH4	577.416	—	(2,1,1,1,1,na) kg Methane from manure. Calculated using GAFF Beef and Sheep based on NIR 2023 (DCCEEW 2025)
KM_Cottonseed	400.0	—	(3,1,1,1,1,na) Estimate of transport distance for cottonseed (km)
NAAR_Cattle	10.220509820000002	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
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.
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.
ATMOS_N2O	5.072	—	(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)