Our gross profit increased 18.7% in 2022 compared to 2021. Gross profit from our Lime and Limestone Operations in 2022 increased 17.6%, compared to 2021, primarily due to the increased revenues discussed above, partially offset by increased lime and limestone production costs, principally from higher transportation, energy, labor, and supplies costs.
Our net income increased $8.4 million, or 22.6%, in 2022, compared to 2021. Net income per fully diluted share increased to $8.00 in 2022, compared to $6.54 in 2021.
Cash flows from operations enabled us to make $32.4 million of capital investments in 2022, including the acquisition of Mill Creek. It also enabled us to pay $4.5 million in dividends in 2022 and increase our cash balances to $133.3 million as of December 31, 2022, compared to $105.4 million as of December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, we had no debt outstanding.
Absent a significant acquisition opportunity arising during 2023, we anticipate funding our operating and capital needs, and our quarterly cash dividend from our cash balances on hand and cash flows from operations.
Lime and Limestone Operations.
In our Lime and Limestone Operations, we produce and sell PLS, aggregate, quicklime, hydrated lime and lime slurry. The principal factors affecting our success are the level of demand and prices for our products and whether we are able to maintain sufficient production levels and product quality while controlling costs.
Inclement weather conditions, such as winter ice and snow storms, cold weather, hurricanes, tornadoes and excessive rainfalls generally reduce the demand for lime and limestone products supplied to construction-related customers that account for a significant amount of our revenues. Inclement weather also interferes with our open-pit mining operations and can disrupt our plant production. In addition to weather, various maintenance, environmental, accident and other operational and construction issues can also disrupt our operations and increase our operating expenses.
Demand for our lime and limestone products in our market areas is also affected by general economic conditions, the pace of construction, the demand for steel, the level of oil and gas drilling in our markets, the level of governmental and private funding for highway construction and infrastructure, and utility plant usage of coal for power generation. Demand for our lime and limestone products from our construction, oil and gas services, and steel customers increased in 2022.
In 2022, we experienced rising costs, especially transportation, energy, labor, and supplies costs, and supply chain delays and disruptions as the global economy came out of restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to monitor and assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the emergence of new variants of the virus, implementation of new or enhanced pandemic-related restrictions, and the possibility of additional wide-spread or localized outbreaks of infections, any of which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and competitive position.
In 2014 and 2015, Texas approved two constitutional amendments authorizing a portion of oil and gas tax revenues to be deposited into the State Highway Fund, for certain other sales and use tax revenues to be directed to the State Highway Fund and, beginning in Texas’ fiscal 2020, for certain state motor vehicle sales and rental tax revenues to be directed to the State Highway Fund. In its fiscal 2022, Texas transferred approximately $4.5 billion of such tax revenues to the State Highway Fund from these two amendments, with almost $23 billion transferred since 2015. In 2021, the United States Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which is estimated to apportion approximately $26.9 billion to Texas for federal-aid highway programs, of which $5.2 billion was for Texas’ fiscal 2022 and the remainder is estimated for fiscal 2023 through fiscal 2026. With these funding sources, we would expect to see strong continued demand from our construction customers, but the timing and amount of any increase in demand is uncertain and subject to weather, political, and other factors.
Our modernization and expansion and development projects and acquisitions in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri and our Texas slurry operations have positioned us to meet the demand for high-quality lime and limestone products in our markets. Our modernization and expansion and development projects have also equipped us with