How to Collect and Report Your Farm’s Emissions Data

Why measuring your emissions matters

With Australia’s new mandatory climate‑related financial disclosure laws rolling out from 2025, large agribusinesses now need verified greenhouse gas (GHG) data from their suppliers. Even if your farm doesn’t report directly, you’ll increasingly be asked to provide emissions information to processors, buyers, or banks.

This guide breaks down, in simple steps, how to collect and report the core data you’ll need to meet buyer expectations—and to position your business for future sustainability markets or financing opportunities.

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Step 1: Understand what “emissions reporting” means

At its simplest, emissions reporting is about quantifying all the greenhouse gases your business activities release over a given period—usually a financial year. These gases include carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O).

The three reporting categories (or “scopes”) help track where emissions come from:

• Scope 1: Direct, on‑farm sources—fuel combustion, livestock enteric emissions, manure, and fertiliser use.
• Scope 2: Indirect energy use—mainly electricity purchased for irrigation, cooling, or sheds.
• Scope 3: Upstream and downstream activities—manufacture of inputs, freight, processing, and retail distribution.

Most family farms will focus on Scope 1 and 2, as those are under their control. The data you provide will help your buyers account for their Scope 3 emissions.

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Step 2: Map your farm operations

Before crunching numbers, sketch a simple emissions map of your enterprise:

• Livestock systems: Beef, dairy, sheep, or pork production—note herd size, diets, manure systems.
• Cropping systems: Area under crop, fertiliser rates, and fuel for sowing, spraying, and harvesting.
• Energy use: Electricity meters, diesel storage, LP gas, pumps, cool‑rooms, and other powered assets.
• Waste management: Burn piles, composting, effluent ponds, and residue treatment.

Drawing this map creates a visual of where emissions “enter and leave” your business.

Example: A mixed beef‑cropping farm might find 60 % of emissions from cattle methane, 25 % from fertilisers, and 15 % from fuel and electricity.

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Step 3: Start collecting data

Every good emissions inventory depends on accurate data. Begin gathering figures in these categories:

• Fuel use: Total litres of diesel, petrol, LPG, or natural gas per year (from invoices or delivery dockets).
• Electricity: kWh from power bills, plus generator hours where relevant.
• Fertiliser: Type and quantity of nitrogen (urea, DAP, ammonium nitrate).
• Livestock: Average numbers by class (e.g., breeding cows, weaners, bulls), liveweight or production stage.
• Feed: Amounts of grain, fodder, and supplements bought or produced.
• Waste and by‑products: How manure, effluent, or crop residues are stored and used.

Recording these monthly—rather than scrambling once a year—makes reporting smoother.

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Step 4: Choose a recognised accounting tool

Several credible frameworks translate your activity data into emission estimates using national science‑based factors.

Recommended tools for Australian producers:

• FarmPrint (developed by CSIRO): Provides commodity‑specific emissions profiles across cattle, sheep, cropping, and mixed systems. Outputs align with the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
• Greenhouse Gas Accounting Framework (GAF): The analytical backbone behind FarmPrint; used by consultants and researchers to ensure consistency with international standards.
• AgCarE (Agricultural Carbon Emissions Calculator): An emerging user‑friendly interface being piloted by industry bodies like MLA and GRDC.

Whichever tool you use, make sure it produces transparent reports that specify the year, system boundaries, and emission factors. Avoid calculators that can’t show methodology or align with recognised frameworks.

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Step 5: Run your baseline calculation

Input your collected data into the tool and calculate a baseline year—usually your most recent full financial year. The result is your total GHG footprint (often expressed in tonnes of CO₂‑equivalent).

For deeper insight, break results into intensity metrics:

• Tonnes CO₂‑e per tonne of grain
• Tonnes CO₂‑e per litre of milk
• Tonnes CO₂‑e per kilogram of liveweight

These intensity indicators are what supply‑chain partners often want, because they let them benchmark efficiency between suppliers.

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Step 6: Check and document assumptions

Transparency matters. Always keep notes on:

• Conversion factors (e.g., emission factors for urea or enteric methane).
• Sources of data (invoice, meter reading, herd record).
• Treatment of shared activities (e.g., fuel split between cropping and livestock).

If an auditor or buyer asks about your numbers later, clear records avoid headaches—and build credibility.

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Step 7: Identify opportunities to reduce emissions

Once you understand your baseline, look for practical emission‑reduction options that suit your production system. Common strategies include:

• Improved feed efficiency or genetics to reduce livestock methane.
• Optimised fertiliser application—matching nitrogen rates to soil tests.
• Soil carbon management via stubble retention, cover cropping, and minimal tillage.
• Energy upgrades: Switching pumps, motors, or lights to more efficient models; adding solar or battery systems.
• Manure or effluent treatment improvements, such as anaerobic digestion or composting.

Even modest changes can improve your emissions intensity—and demonstrate progress in future disclosures.

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Step 8: Share data with your supply‑chain partners

Processors, exporters, and supermarkets each have different reporting needs. Ask clearly:

• What template or format they require (CSV, PDF summary, system login, etc.).
• What timeframe they report on (financial year vs. calendar year).
• Which scopes they want data for.

Most buyers won’t need raw spreadsheets—just a validated summary with methods and units clearly defined.

If you use FarmPrint or similar, you can export standardised reports that provide credibility and minimise duplication.

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Step 9: Integrate emissions tracking into normal business management

Treat emissions data collection like financial bookkeeping or livestock recording: a recurring task, not a one‑off.

Set up a simple spreadsheet or farm management software to log:

• Monthly diesel usage
• Power readings
• Fertiliser deliveries
• Livestock numbers

Doing this consistently reduces annual workload, improves comparability, and positions your farm for sustainability‑linked finance or certifications in future.

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Step 10: Prepare for external verification

As regulations mature, processors and financiers may request verification—proof that your emissions data is accurate. This doesn’t mean a full‑scale audit, but you might need to:

• Provide documentation of input data and calculation method.
• Allow sampling checks (e.g., metered electricity records).
• Demonstrate use of a credible tool consistent with recognised frameworks (e.g., GAF, ISO 14064).

Being “verification‑ready” protects you from compliance delays and shows professional diligence.

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Step 11: Communicate your story

Beyond the numbers, good reporting tells a narrative: how you manage land, livestock, and energy responsibly. When sharing data in marketing or sustainability communications:

• Highlight improvements over time (“We’ve reduced nitrogen fertiliser use 10 % in two years”).
• Focus on efficiencies (“Producing the same yield with less fuel”).
• Be transparent about challenges—buyers respect honesty more than perfection.

This builds trust with both customers and consumers, turning compliance into a storytelling opportunity.

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Step 12: Stay informed

Climate‑related reporting will continue evolving. Keep an eye on updates from:

• Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) for future ASRS developments.
• Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) for carbon policy and incentive programs.
• Industry groups (MLA, DA, GRDC, NFF) for tool updates and training.

Regularly checking these sources helps your business adapt smoothly to new standards or buyer requests.

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Collect and Report Your Farm’s Emissions Data

Creating a credible farm emissions report boils down to three core habits:

1. Good record keeping. Know your data and keep it organised.
2. Consistent methodology. Use recognised Australian frameworks (FarmPrint or GAF).
3. Clear communication. Provide buyers with transparent, verified summaries.

By starting early, you’ll not only meet the demands of mandatory reporting across the supply chain—you’ll also gain insights to improve efficiency, lower costs, and strengthen your farm’s long‑term sustainability credentials.

As Australia moves into an era where carbon and productivity go hand‑in‑hand, the farms that measure well will perform best.