Farm Bureau Encourages Farmers, Ranchers to Reach Out to Lawmakers on Estate Tax Repeal Bills

The American Farm Bureau Federation is asking farmers and ranchers to urge their lawmakers to support House and Senate legislation to eliminate the estate tax.

 

The current but temporary estate tax exemption of $11 million per person has allowed farmers and ranchers to expand their businesses, upgrade buildings and purchase needed equipment and livestock, rather than spend their money on life insurance and estate planning. More importantly, when a family member dies, the family can continue farming, without having to sell land, livestock or equipment to pay the tax. The exemption is indexed for inflation while continuing stepped-up basis and portability between spouses.

 

“In spite of this much-appreciated relief, estate taxes still hang heavy over many family farm businesses. Farm and ranch assets are usually tied to illiquid assets such as land, buildings and equipment. When estate taxes on an agricultural business exceed cash and other liquid assets, surviving family members have few options other than to sell off farm and ranch assets, placing their business at risk,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall said in a letter to Capitol Hill lawmakers.

 

Duvall also noted that in 2026, the estate tax exemption reverts to $5.5. million per person, which will force many farmers and ranchers to divert resources from their agricultural business for estate tax planning – unless Congress extends the higher estate tax exemption rate.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.