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Sections from cattle hair serve as an isotopic archive—they contain information on the cattle diet from different time periods. We tested the reliability of 13C signatures (δ13C) in cattle tail switch hair to retrospectively trace back the annual dietary proportion of maize of different production systems without having to sample and analyze the feed. Furthermore, we investigated if differences in dietary proportion of maize during summer and winter feeding can be detected in a single tail switch hair by sampling hair only once a year. We sampled hair and obtained information on management and annual composition of diets on 23 cattle farms in northern Germany. Farms differed in dietary proportions of maize, grass and concentrates as well as in grazing regime (year-round grazing, summer grazing, no grazing). We found that the annual mean δ13C values (δ13CY) of two hair sections that contain the isotopic information of summer and winter feeding is a robust indicator for the annual proportion of maize in cattle diet on a farm. The grazing regimes could clearly be distinguished by analyzing seasonal mean δ13C values (δ13CS). We could also demonstrate short term changes in the diet changes by means of δ13CS. We conclude that the method can be used in different cattle production systems to check on dietary proportions of maize for a period of one year before sampling of hair.

In 2022, the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) will take place in Karlsruhe, Germany, under the theme “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.” Assembly themes are not simply random slogans, chosen by chance and therefore without significance. They serve as a guideline for the assemblies and as a word spoken to the delegates and to the wider world as an orientation for debate, decisions, and, not least, prayer. Themes are nothing less than the soul of the assembly, carefully chosen and discussed ahead of an assembly, reflected on by delegates, and bringing Christians around the world into closer contact with the message of the assembly and with God by listening to the words of the gospel. This article seeks to place the theme of the Karlsruhe assembly in the context of previous assembly themes, identifying continuities and highlighting differences.

The efficiency of a multifunctional grassland depends on well balanced goals. However, the more services are demanded from grassland the more likely are goal conflicts and trade-offs (Isselstein and Kayser, 2012;Isselstein and Kayser, 2014).The frame conditions for grassland management can change due to agricultural political targets, market processes, cost structures, technological process and climate change on a regional scale. These factors can intensify goal conflicts and compromise sustainable, multifunctional grassland farming (Dabbert and Krimly, 2004;Soussana and Lüscher, 2007; Peeters, 2008). Therefore, it makes sense to evaluate grassland farming and grassland management practices on a regional and on a farm scale in order to development sophisticated adaption strategies for a sustainable grassland management.An assessment of grassland farming systems by quantitative indicators for the sustainability of production system can also be helpful (Taube and Wachendorf, 2004, van Passel et al., 2006, Treyse et al 2008. This approach would include investigations on productivity and nutrient fluxes on different levels and in different production systems (Schröder et al., 2003;Rotz et al., 2005).Furthermore, climate change is supposed to change the productivity of grassland (yields and nutritional quality) (Lüscher et al., 2005; Hopkins and Del Prado, 2007). The impact of climate change on grassland depends on the botanical composition of the sward and can be modified by fertilization and other management practices (Harmens et al., 2002).Climate change can have differed effects on grasslands: elevated CO2 concentrations will generally increase grassland productivity while predicted less precipitation, especially during summer periods, might lead to drought periods resulting in smaller yields; more rainfall in winter can lead to waterlogging on sensitive soils (e.g. Thornley and Cannell, 1997; Dukes et al., 2005). The NaLaMa-nt ProjectThe investigations in the context of this dissertation were conducted within the scope of the joint research project NaLaMa-nT: Sustainable land management in the North German Plain. The aim of the project was to establish a knowledge and decisions basis