The Beijing-based Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning (IARRP) of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, in collaboration with the National Animal Husbandry Station, hosted the first session of a training course on Aug 20-23 in Hulunbuir city, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region. The training is designed to accelerate the rollout of technologies, support equipment, and outcomes related to the Intelligent Grazing and Precision Management Technology for Natural Grasslands project — a key initiative of China's 14th Five-Year (2021–2025) National Key R&D Program. It also aims to comprehensively enhance modern pasture management skills among farmers, herders and grassroots technical staff. The course — held at the Hulunbuir National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station — attracted numerous industry experts, grassroots professionals and researchers from China's Northwest Gansu province, Northeast Heilongjiang province, Inner Mongolia and other regions. 

Training kicked off on Aug 21 with an opening ceremony and a series of academic presentations. During the ceremony, Dr Xin Xiaoping, director of the Hulunbuir station, delivered a welcome address. The session was chaired by Dr Shao Changliang from the IARRP, who on behalf of the project team warmly welcomed the leaders, invited experts and grassroots participants. He provided a comprehensive overview of the strategic background, core objectives, and training discipline requirements. Qi Xiao, deputy director of the National Animal Husbandry Station; Wang Yongjie, director of the feed and forage technology department at the Inner Mongolia Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Technology Extension Center; and Qi Hang, director of the Hulunbuir Animal Husbandry Technology Extension Center, delivered opening speeches. They expressed high hopes and clear expectations for the strategic significance and future application prospects of the project. Next, reports were delivered by leading experts and scholars from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing Institute of Technology, and Geovis Technology Co., Ltd. These examined such cutting-edge topics as remote sensing monitoring of natural grassland vegetation parameters, methods for surveying large wild herbivores and livestock, the development of high-frequency vegetation canopy productivity monitoring instruments, and a prototype system for the grassland ranch "One Map," applications of machine vision in animal husbandry. They also looked at prospects for robotic grazing, grassland improvement, restoration and rational utilization technologies, precise diagnosis systems for the fertility of mowed grasslands, and an intelligent management cloud platform for natural grassland grazing. 

In addition to theoretical instruction, the training course placed a strong emphasis on practical demonstrations. On Aug 22, participants visited the Xiertala natural grassland to observe intelligent grazing demonstrations and conducted field visits to the Hulunbuir Chula Dairy demonstration base and the Chen Barag Banner grassland restoration platform. Through on-site demonstrations and result displays, participants gained a direct understanding. This visit also showcased the immense potential and significant effectiveness of intelligent grazing and precision management technologies in modern grassland ecological protection and efficient utilization.

The training course was closely in line with national priorities for ecological civilization and the high-quality development of grassland animal husbandry. It covered theoretical advancements, core technology breakthroughs, and grassroots application demonstrations. Participants said the systematic training broadened their horizons, equipped them with cutting-edge intelligent technologies, and laid a solid foundation for future grassroots promotion and application — actively contributing to China's grassland ecological protection and the transformation and upgrading of grassland animal husbandry.