CDFA Announces Ballots Are Going Out for PD Referendum.SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Ballots for the referendum on whether to continue the Pierce's disease (PD) assessment of California's winegrape growers are being placed in the mail today, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the California Department of Food and Agriculture California Department of Food and Agriculture, which was established in 1919 by the California Legislature,[1] works in partnership with the agricultural industry and other governmental agencies to regulate various aspects dealing with food and agriculture related (CDFA CDFA California Department of Food and Agriculture CDFA Council of Development Finance Agencies CDFA Certified Divorce Financial Analyst CDFA Community Development Finance Association CDFA Community Development Finance Authority ). Representatives for the CDFA said ballots are being sent to all of the state's 7,400 winegrape growers who paid the assessment for the 2004 harvest. The ballots must be returned within 30 days to be counted. At least 40 percent of eligible growers must cast ballots to validate the referendum. Passage of the referendum requires either: --Of those who vote, 65 percent vote "yes" and the "yes" voters must have paid the majority of the assessment that was paid by those who voted, or --Of those who vote, a majority vote "yes," and the "yes" voters must have paid 65 percent or more of the assessment that was paid by those who voted. The assessment was established as a result of the devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. 1999 outbreak of the Glassy-winged Sharpshooter The glassy-winged sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis, formerly known as H. coagulata) is a large leafhopper insect from the family Cicadellidae, similar to other species of sharpshooter. It is about half an inch (12 mm) in length. in Temecula. In 2000 the industry quickly mobilized in support of a self-assessment to halt the pest's spread and fund PD research. "To date the current assessment has raised nearly $17.8 million," said Bob Wynn Robert "Bob" Wynn (January 27, 1940 – May 18, 2005) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. Wynn turned pro in 1966. His victory at the 1976 B.C. Open was his only career win in a PGA Tour event. , CDFA's statewide coordinator for the Pierce's Disease Control Program. "By assessing themselves, growers demonstrated their concern to government officials about the PD/GWSS threat, and we've been able to leverage those funds to a total of $210 million with state and federal grants to help contain the GWSS GWSS Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter (insect) GWSS Groundwater Supply Survey ." The PD/GWSS Board, made up of winegrape growers and grower/vintners from around the state, advises the CDFA secretary on expenditure of assessment funds to ensure that the research is responsive to the needs of the grower community. Over 100 research projects are already being funded, providing the science needed to effectively control the pest while also building a research foundation to better understand and address Pierce's disease. For more information about the referendum and how assessment funds have been used to protect the livelihood of California's winegrape industry, log on to http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/pdcp/gwgrowervote.htm. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion