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AI on the Grassland: A Five-Day Field Study of Smart Pastoralism in Inner Mongolia

A five-day ranch visit in Inner Mongolia explores AI-driven smart pastoralism and new sales channels.

AI News Feed · 2026-08-26 13:42

The visit was arranged by a friend of the ranch owner, nicknamed "Brother Dong." The writer first accompanied Dong to a supply-chain company in Beijing's Shunyi District, where they planned to launch community-based sales of lamb. The company's manager suggested adding a "poverty-alleviation" entry to an online mini-program so that government agencies could place orders directly. The ranch owner had previously operated a store on the e-commerce platform Youzan, and the supply-chain partner also operates its own Youzan store.

On the way to the ranch, the writer observed a local sheep trading market. There, sellers and buyers negotiated prices, with one lamb offered at 850 yuan by a seller and 800 yuan by a buyer. The market owner charged a 20-yuan fee to the seller and 10 yuan to the buyer for each successful deal. About 50 sheep were sold in two transactions during the writer's observation.

At the ranch, the writer toured the facilities, which include two operational sheep sheds, two unoperated sheds, a cold storage unit waiting for an operating license, a 40-mu (about 2.7 hectares) fenced paddock, and a larger 1,800-mu pasture. Feeding is done twice daily by hand, and the fattening sheep are moved to the paddock during the day. Only two full-time workers handle the daily chores, often working until 9 or 11 p.m., especially when a new batch of lambs arrives and requires vaccination and medication.

The visit concluded with a late-night "starlight conversation" facilitated by "Xuebao," an AI agent built by Dong on the Feishu (Lark) platform. The discussion focused on three key challenges the owner wants to solve in smart pastoralism, though the article does not specify them. The writer noted that the herding industry has a complex supply chain and lacks a one-size-fits-all solution, so changes must be made step by step.

The report describes a blend of traditional herding with modern technology, including the use of AI for ranch management and the exploration of new sales channels. The trip also served the writer's broader interest in embodied intelligence and its applications in different industries.