Tropical Storm Forecast and Drone Swarm Exemption
From the Ag Information Network, this is your Agribusiness Update.
**Meteorologists at AccuWeather are warning people and businesses to start preparing now for what could be a busy tropical storm season that may have major impacts on the U.S.
The 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast is calling for 20 to 25 named storms.
Eight to 12 of those storms are forecast to strengthen into hurricanes.
Four to six storms could directly impact the U.S.
**The USDA says the total number of cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the U.S. for feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.8 million head on March 1,1% higher than a year earlier.
Placements in feedlots during February totaled 1.89 million head, 10% above 2023.
At 1.83 million head, placements were the highest for February since the series began in 1996.
**The Federal Aviation Administration issued an exemption for “drone-swarm” agriculture, a method of seeding and spraying crops at a fraction of the traditional cost.
Hylio (HEE-lee-oh), a Texas-based drone manufacturer, successfully applied for the exemption to allow fleets of drones weighing 55 pounds or more to fly together.
It’s the first exception of its kind for machines that carry what the company calls a “meaningful payload” and makes it competitive.
