Bixiriletu, a fellow herder from Angsu village in the banner, checks his cellphone to remotely view his sheep that are grazing somewhere in the village.[Photo by Satarupa Bhattacharjya/Lin Hong/China Daily]

He owns six cows as well, but mainly for milk.

This village in the Otog Front Banner has 175 permanent resident families, many of whom keep sheep and grow corn and a variety of rice.

Wangchuge says somewhere on his farm he has set up tanks with drinking water for his sheep that automatically adjust temperatures.

He is keen to develop an earmark but doesn't specify if it would be digital.

"After a sheep is born and earmarked, we will be able to keep daily logs on its intake of grass and water. This will make consumers feel safe about buying the meat," he says.

The banner is among 33 such administrative subdivisions in Inner Mongolia where livestock production is a major economic activity.

"We are trying to develop modern animal husbandry and agriculture that are both eco-friendly and profitable," a senior local official says, adding that the industries generated 2.2 billion yuan ($348 million) in 2016.

He didn't want to be identified by name as he was speaking on behalf of his team.

An ecological concern has been the degradation of the grasslands, partly owing to overgrazing.

In 2013, the region launched some protection measures and since has tried to restrict active grazing to nine months in a year.