Professional Documents
Culture Documents
UÊ Unlike most other estates, farm and ranch family assets consist almost entirely of investment in
land, buildings, livestock and production tools such as specialized equipment, irrigation systems and
processing units. As a result, there are few saleable assets and very little liquidity available to pay
estate taxes.
UÊ To remain economically viable, many agricultural operations have diversified through the devel-
opment of associated production units such as storage and packing sheds, drying, hulling or wine
crushing operations. Such diversification requires capital formation and each function is integral to
the viability of the operation, parceling-off or selling part of the estate is not a practical option.
UÊ Farm estates are 5 to 20 times more likely to incur estate taxes than other estates. It is estimated
that 10 percent of the farm estates (farms with sales of $250,000 or more annually) are likely to owe
estate taxes in 2009, according to the USDA Economic Research Service.
UÊ Farm and ranching operations in the path of urban development face even greater estate tax hurdles
due to sharply higher appraisal values (the basis of estate tax valuations) that render many farms no
longer economically viable.
UÊ Money presently spent on insurance and other preventive actions is revenue that could be devoted
to capital improvements or conservation efforts that would improve the operation and the surround-
ing environment.
UÊ Multi-generational family farmers and ranchers have a demonstrated love of the land with a strong
sense of stewardship and conservation ethic.