Innovative silage a livestock biz boost

HOHHOT — In the vast pastures of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, a humble blade of grass is being transformed into the cornerstone of a modern agricultural titan, fueling the region's dominance in China's dairy and meat industries.

As China's leading livestock region breeding over 140 million head of grass-fed animals annually, Inner Mongolia faces immense demand for forage. In response, cities like Bayannuur, Hohhot and Tongliao are pioneering a modern forage and pasture industry in the region through artificial planting, natural grassland restoration, and silage production, in a bid to strike a grass-livestock balance.

The results are tangible. In 2025, Inner Mongolia's artificial forage planting area exceeded 20.9 million mu (1.39 million hectares), with total forage supply surpassing 75 million metric tons. This amount of feed effectively supports key livestock industry chains, including dairy and beef, with a combined output value nearing 500 billion yuan ($72 billion).

Based in Dengkou county, Bayannuur of Inner Mongolia, Shengmu Hi-tech Ecological Grass Industry Co Ltd has solidified its position as one of China's flagship enterprises in the greening of desert areas with organic grass as silage.

The company has developed some 15,333 hectares of organic pasture and feed cultivation bases.

"By optimizing crop varieties and meticulously planning harvests, we've significantly boosted yield and quality," said Li Jun, manager of the company's alfalfa park, which boasts a high yield of around 15 tons of this premium livestock grass per hectare.

In Horqin Left Wing Middle Banner in Tongliao, local policies promote shifting the use of land from crop growing to forage cultivation, which is more productive and able to directly support the local beef cattle industry.

In 2025, Tongliao's silage corn planting area had reached 5.36 million mu, cementing its status both as China's largest producer of silage corn and a leading beef cattle breeding city.

To balance grain and forage production, Inner Mongolia regions like Chifeng and Ulaanqab are piloting crop rotation systems. For example, growing forage oat grass using potato fields has been proven useful in enhancing land and water efficiency.

"With precision irrigation and fertilization, we get two harvests per year without extra land, adding 3,000 tons of quality forage," said Huang Xiangyu, head of Yanfeng Grass Industry Co Ltd in Ar Horqin Banner, Chifeng.

Xinhua - China Daily