If our operation is forced out of business to settle a death tax payment, everything I have worked for is lost, our family livelihood is lost, the jobs and income for our employees are lost, and the community has lost an economic and contributing asset. About half of the operators are 55 years or older. They are nearing the age when transfer of property to children becomes a major issue. They are the ones extremely concerned about the death tax. In Florida, land values have been inflated due to the influx of residents.
Developers willingly pay high prices to convert farmland to other uses.
Land becomes valued far beyond what it can produce in terms of agriculture. While that makes it sound like farmers are wealthy, the wealth is only on paper. Families often need to sell off their property to have money to pay large estate-tax bills. In most cases that will ruin the economic viability of a business unit. However, basic fairness dictates there should be no death tax.