Recognizing grass, valuing grass, and developing grass is of great significance

Grass plays an important role in our country's agricultural and rural economic development, especially in the development of grass-based livestock husbandry, and will continue to play an even more important role.

Grass is the foundation of modern grass-based livestock husbandry development. Grass is the basic means of production for grass-based livestock husbandry, and is the food ration for grass-eating livestock. Without grass there is no grass-based livestock husbandry, and without a modern grass industry there is no modern grass-based livestock husbandry. In the United States, a modern livestock husbandry powerhouse——forage grass planting area has consistently remained at around 400 million mu, long ranking among the four major crops; hay output has remained at an annual average of around 140 million tons, creating an output value of nearly 50 billion US dollars. The industry chain related to grass, including scientific research, extension, processing, machinery, storage and transportation, and trade, is complete, and the strength of the grass industry is formidable.

Grass is a major weak point in our country's livestock husbandry development. In recent years, market demand for cattle and sheep products in our country has been strong and prices have remained firm, but forage is severely in short supply. Last year our country's commercial grass output was 8.2963 million tons. Based on an estimate of an average consumption of 1.8 kg of forage per sheep unit per day over a 100-day fattening period, the supported rearing volume is less than 50 million sheep units, less than 1/10 of the total rearing volume. Feeding alfalfa is an effective measure for increasing dairy cow milk production and improving milk quality, but our country's alfalfa production falls short of demand; last year alone nearly one million tons were imported, at prices far higher than grain and domestically produced forage.

There is great potential in planting grass and developing the grass industry. Our country's agriculture has had bumper harvests for many consecutive years, and the staple food issue has been basically and steadily resolved, making it possible to expand forage grass planting. As the level of large-scale breeding rises, demand for forage grass continues to be vigorous. Good grass feeds good livestock, and good livestock produces good milk (meat) - this has become an industry consensus. As corn prices change, the comparative benefit advantage of planting grass is gradually emerging. The cultivation, harvesting, and silage packaging technologies related to grass are already relatively mature, and the conditions for equipment support are basically in place. Many localities have already made successful explorations and accumulated successful experience in planting grass to raise livestock and establishing grass as a business. It can be said that all is ready for planting grass and developing the grass industry.

Concepts must come first. To plant grass and develop the grass industry, the urgent task is to change concepts and re-recognize the status and role of grass. We must deeply understand and promptly implement the requirement put forward in this year's No. 1 Central Document, “support forage and feed planting, and promote the coordinated development of the three-way planting structure of grain, cash crops, and forage and feed”, place grass planting in a more prominent position in agriculture's “transformation of development mode and adjustment of structure”, establish the concept that planting grass is planting grain (feed grain) and that planting grass is planting meat and milk, value grass planting as much as grain planting, and plant grass as we plant grain. We must be willing to use good farmland to plant grass and be willing to invest, and manage intensively, so that grass can truly become a big industry.