NEWS.md

In cowfootR: Dairy Farm Carbon Footprint Assessment

cowfootR 0.1.3

Major changes

• Clarified and standardized emission units across the package. All emission calculation functions now consistently return annual emissions expressed as kg CO2eq yr-1 (farm-level totals). This applies to:
• calc_emissions_enteric()
• calc_emissions_manure()
• calc_emissions_soil()
• calc_emissions_energy()
• calc_emissions_inputs()

• aggregated results from calc_total_emissions()

• Updated returned objects and documentation to ensure that temporal definitions of emission units are explicit and unambiguous, addressing reviewer feedback.

Documentation

• Updated the README to explicitly state that absolute emissions are reported as annual values (kg CO2eq yr-1), and that intensity metrics are derived from annual data.
• Updated the Get started and IPCC Methodology Tiers vignettes to clarify:
• system boundaries,
• unit definitions,
• aggregation logic.
• Improved function documentation (@return sections) for clarity and consistency.

Internal structure

• Refactored helper logic for purchased inputs into a dedicated helper file (inputs_helpers.R) to improve modularity and testability.
• Improved internal consistency of boundary handling across emission modules.

Tests

• Extended and updated unit tests to reflect clarified unit conventions.
• Ensured integration tests cover full farm-level workflows using annual emissions.

Minor improvements

• Improved error messages and validation for emission factor inputs.
• Minor code clean-up and formatting improvements.

cowfootR documentation built on Jan. 13, 2026, 5:07 p.m.