Fight to Overturn U.S. Death Tax Gains Momentum

Feb 14, 2025
By Farms.com

NCBA Pushes to Scrap Harmful Estate Tax

The push to repeal the federal estate tax, known as the Death Tax, is gaining strength with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) at the forefront.

This critical legislative goal is supported by a bill introduced by Representatives Randy Feenstra and Sanford Bishop, with a Senate counterpart led by Majority Leader John Thune.

NCBA President Buck Wehrbein, representing cattle producers, criticizes the Death Tax for endangering the survival of family-owned farms and ranches. He emphasizes, “The Death Tax isn’t pro-growth – it’s a death warrant for family businesses.”

According to NCBA’s tax survey, a significant portion of respondents have been burdened by this tax, with some paying it repeatedly, compelling them to liquidate assets or incur debts.

This act comes at a crucial time as the existing Death Tax reliefs are set to expire by the end of 2025. If not addressed, the return to pre-2017 exemption levels, combined with soaring farmland values, will place many more families under the tax's scope.

NCBA is grateful for the leadership of Thune, Feenstra, and Bishop, who are working tirelessly to ensure that family-owned agricultural enterprises can thrive without the looming threat of the Death Tax.

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.