We deal with the sustainable usage of ressources in the field farm animal - plant - environment. An important theme is the impact of climate change on productivity and quality of plant stocks and, on the other hand, the effects of cultivation on the emission of greenhouse gases. Further, the chair focusses on questions of nutrient usage, management of humid grasslands which are valuable from a nature conservation perspective and on livestock characteristics in performance and behaviour.

We carry out field investigations, also on areas of agricultural practice. Main research objects are soil, soil water, nutrient sources, botanical species inventory, plant material as feed in quantitative and qualitative regard as well as parameter of biotic and abiotic environmental ressources. In connection with the analysis of grazing systems, livestock characteristics in performance and behaviour were determined. The investigation of stabile isotopes is used to understand nutrient cycling and handling of plant stocks with the ressource water.

Research priorities are:

• Optimization of nutrient cycling in grassland and fodder systems (reduction of nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emissions, improvement of nutrient use efficiency), also in organically operated fodder farms
• Options forusage of humid grasslands in accordance with nature conservation
• Increase of the capability to refine feed
• Influence of phytodiversity on resilience and ressource usage of grassland