NEWS

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cowfootR 0.1.3 (2026-01-13)

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.

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