As autumn ushers in the season of harvest, Wushen Banner is experiencing its optimal window for collecting silage corn across 130,000 mu of farmland, with the full harvest operation projected to wrap up by the end of September.

The banner has streamlined the entire chain, connecting farmer cultivation, forage storage, and ranch feeding operations. By advancing a circular farming-livestock model, it is securing stable incomes for growers while simultaneously stocking up high-quality feed reserves for cattle and sheep to endure the winter, thereby boosting both efficiency and sustainable growth in local agriculture and animal husbandry.

At the harvest site in Chaodai Gacha, Sulide Sumu, sprawling fields of silage corn display vigorous growth. Large self-propelled forage harvesters move across the farmland, with transport trucks trailing alongside to receive the chopped material as it is blown directly into their trailers through the discharge spout.

Liu Bin, General Manager of Ordos Adopt-a-Cow Dairy Co., Ltd., noted that the company plans to procure 15,000 tons of corn silage this year. Based on current crop conditions, the estimated yield reaches 4.5 tons per mu. The harvesting process adheres to strict technical protocols, maintaining a stubble height of 30 centimeters above ground, and operations commence when the corn kernel milk line reaches the halfway point. This integrated approach significantly boosts operational efficiency while rigorously upholding forage cutting standards, ensuring quality control at the very source of silage production.

Standardized silage practices are also delivering tangible financial rewards for local farming families.

Kang Xinghai, a herder from Chaodai Gacha, Sulide Sumu, shared that his household cultivated over 1,200 mu of silage corn this year, all sold under contract to a cattle farm. With a yield of roughly 4 tons per mu and a purchase price of 530 yuan per ton, he expressed great satisfaction with this year's earnings.

Once harvested, the silage material is trucked to the beef cattle breeding base, where vehicles enter through a dedicated transport lane and undergo sequential weighing procedures. The ranch then initiates large-scale, standardized pit storage operations. Through meticulous and regulated ensiling processes, the nutritional value of the forage is preserved to the greatest extent, laying a solid foundation for the scientific feeding of the cattle.

Huang Yulong, Team Leader of the Feeding Department at Adopt-a-Cow Chaodai Ranch, explained that the facility receives approximately 80 truckloads of silage daily, each carrying around 20 tons, bringing the total daily intake to roughly 1,600 tons. The pit-filling process demands strict control from the spreading stage: each layer is maintained at a thickness of 20 to 30 centimeters, with compaction applied after every layer and each layer pressed for one hour to guarantee dense packing. The silage undergoes fermentation for at least three months before being fed to the cattle.

The large-scale silage storage and cattle farming industry not only stabilizes local forage supply but also generates significant employment capacity, consistently driving job creation and income growth for residents in the area and surrounding regions.

Kang Xinwei, a herder from Chaodai Gacha, Sulide Sumu, mentioned that the silage collection point is conveniently close to his home. He manages seven or eight trips per day, earning around a thousand yuan. Being able to finish work and return home on time while securing an extra steady income brings him considerable contentment.

Liu Bin, General Manager of Ordos Adopt-a-Cow Dairy Co., Ltd., added that during the silage procurement period, the ranch draws labor from neighboring townships and adjacent counties, providing seasonal employment for over 200 people. This enables many residents to boost their earnings right at their doorstep.

From field to ranch, silage bridges the crop cultivation and livestock sectors. Wushen Banner continues to refine its circular farming-livestock industry chain, prioritizing forage reserve as a cornerstone of high-quality animal husbandry development. By building a virtuous cycle of crop-driven livestock growth and income generation through breeding, the banner is channeling industrial synergy into rural revitalization with formidable momentum.