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SACRAMENTO – State Controller Betty T. Yee has released her monthly report covering California's cash balance, receipts and disbursements in December 2014.
Revenues for the month totaled $13.1 billion, surpassing budget estimates by $1.9 billion, or 17.2 percent.
“Exceeding expectations when it comes to having cash to pay the state’s bills is good news,” said Controller Yee. “Our strong cash position will be a welcome boon to schools and other local agencies that depend on timely state disbursements.”
The state’s top three revenue sources all exceeded monthly estimates.
December sales tax receipts of $2.3 billion were $193.4 million above estimates (9.3 percent). Corporate tax receipts for the month were $483.8 million above estimates (38.1 percent), totaling $1.8 billion.
Personal income taxes of $8.6 billion for December came in $1.3 billion (17.7 percent) above estimates.
In addition, approximately $1.1 billion of personal income and corporate taxes received by the Franchise Tax Board on Dec. 31, 2014, were remitted to the controller on Jan. 2, and will be included in the controller’s January 2015 cash report.
Total revenues of $47.4 billion for the first six months of the fiscal year were $3.0 billion (6.7 percent) ahead of budget estimates.
Disbursements for the month of December exceeded budget estimates by $516.7 million (5.1 percent). However, year-to-date disbursements are $822.9 million (-1.2 percent) less than anticipated.
The state ended the month with a general fund cash deficit of $16.0 billion, which was covered by $13.2 billion of internal borrowing and $2.8 billion of external borrowing.
That figure was down from last year, when the state faced a cash deficit of $18.3 billion at the end of December 2013.
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SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) is currently accepting concept proposals for the 2015 grant cycle.
FREP’s competitive grant program funds research that advances the environmentally safe and agronomically sound use of fertilizing materials.
The 2015 Request for Proposals (RFP) includes several initiatives put forth by the department to help effectively manage nitrogen fertilizers in agriculture.
New this year is a call for integrating different aspects of nutrient management, including fertigation, irrigation, crop development and soil fertility into easy-to-use decision making tools and concepts that can help improve management practices.
Additionally, the FREP seeks concepts and proposals to provide strong education and outreach opportunities on effectively and efficiently managing fertilizing materials.
Proposals for research projects are requested to fill gaps in nitrogen management information for specific crops, including corn, pima cotton, processing tomatoes, walnuts, citrus, and deep rooted vegetables such as carrots.
Furthermore, the FREP is encouraging the development and submission of concepts that will demonstrate effective nutrient management practices that have been developed through experimental research trials (e.g., prior FREP research findings).
These demonstrations should implement practices at the field scale in organic and conventional fertilizers.
Other priority research areas are developing Best Management Practices (BMPs), along with evaluating strategies and potential technologies to increase crop nitrogen fertilizer uptake; reduce nitrogen movement off irrigated agricultural lands, including nitrate leaching below the root zone; and minimize nitrous oxide emissions from nitrogen fertilizers.
Applicants are invited to submit two-page concept proposals to the FREP by Friday, Jan. 16, 2015. Concepts submitted should be in line with at least one of the program’s identified priority research areas.
Further information on the 2015 FREP request for concept proposals, including timelines, application criteria, priority research areas, and examples of successful proposals are available at www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/ffldrs/frep/CompetitiveGrantProgram.html .
In addition to the FREP’s regular RFP, CDFA is preparing a special RFP as part of its nitrogen initiatives.
The priority areas for this special RFP are scheduled to be announced early January 2015.
All concept proposals will be reviewed by the FREP’s Technical Advisory Subcommittee (TASC). Concept proposals that are selected by the TASC will be invited for development into full project proposals.
Applicants may also send e-mail inquiries to
Since 1990, the Fertilizer Research and Education Program has funded more than 160 research projects focusing on California’s important and environmentally sensitive cropping systems.
A database of completed and ongoing research is publicly available at www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/ffldrs/frep.html .
In collaboration with the University of California Davis, FREP is developing fertilization guidelines for major crops grown in California.
The guidelines are uploaded on a flow basis and are available to growers and crop advisors through this Web-based platform, http://apps.cdfa.ca.gov/frep/docs/guidelines.html .
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LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Six Sigma Ranch & Winery recently received a double gold medal at “The Fifty Best” Sauvignon Blanc competition held in New York City for the 2013 Asbill Valley Sauvignon Blanc.
A double-gold medal indicates that every judge agreed that the wine deserves a gold medal. Only six wineries were awarded this honor.
Two days after receiving the double-gold Six Sigma was told that the Wine Enthusiast Magazine awarded the 2013 Sauvignon Blanc a score of 90 points and named an “Editors' Choice.” Look for it in Wine Enthusiast's Best of 2014 issue.
“Two prestigious recognitions in the same week is fantastic,” said Matt Hughes the winemaker at Six Sigma Winery. “The entire team at Six Sigma Winery works hard to make great wines. To have other professionals taste our wines and appreciate the quality is an honor.”
Proprietors Kaj and Else Ahlmann were equally ecstatic.
“This is great news for everyone at the winery and is great timing for the holiday season,” Kaj Ahlmann said.
Walt Campbell, long-time employee at the ranch stated, “I am excited for people to come by the tasting room and not only try the Sauvignon Blanc but all of our award winning wines. It is a true testament to what hard work can accomplish.”
Six Sigma Winery is located outside of Lower Lake at 13372 Spruce Grove Road and is open every day from 11 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
Call 707-994-4068 or visit www.sixsigmaranch.com for more information.
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The California Department of Food and Agriculture has published its final Statewide Plant Pest Prevention and Management Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR).
The report is available on the CDFA Web site at http://cdfa.ca.gov/plant/peir/index.html .
CDFA is mandated to prevent the introduction and spread of injurious insect or animal pests, plant diseases, and noxious weeds in California (California Food and Agricultural Code Section 403).
To accomplish this, CDFA implements the Statewide Plant Pest Prevention and Management Program (Statewide Program), an ongoing effort to protect California’s agriculture from damage caused by invasive plant pests.
The Statewide Program is implemented in partnership with a number of entities including international trading partners, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, County Agricultural Commissioners, other public agencies, industry groups, and academia.
CDFA has prepared this PEIR to provide an up-to-date, transparent and comprehensive evaluation of CDFA’s activities, and to serve as an overarching California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) framework for efficient and proactive implementation of Statewide Program activities.
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