[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 95 (Tuesday, July 8, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H4891-H4892]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THE AMERICAN FAMILY FARM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California [Mr. Capps] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, at this time of the year when we talk about 
corn being so high by the Fourth of July, I wish to talk briefly about 
the American family farm. The American family farm represents the heart 
and backbone of America. It reflects our values, our ideals, our 
heritage. Growing up in the heartland of this Nation in Nebraska, 
together with my brother Roger who is here today, I worked in farms and 
was surrounded by farms. The work ethic and the values I hold today 
stem from this upbringing. The community I now represent on the central 
coast of California actively participates in everything from cattle 
ranching to broccoli growing, to strawberry growing to wine 
cultivation.
  This past week we celebrated our Nation's birthday. I participated in 
the Santa Barbara County Fair in Santa Maria, CA. The farmers there are 
worried about whether or not they will be able to pass their farms or 
ranches on to their children. Today's estate tax makes that very 
difficult, especially for these hardworking people in our district.
  I strongly support efforts to protect the American family farm and 
provide estate tax relief for our Nation's hardworking farmers. Farmers 
and ranchers work long, hard hours over a lifetime to build their 
businesses. However, far too often the burden of costly estate taxes 
forces them to sell their land. This is especially prevalent in our 
district with soaring property values and continued suburban 
development. Not only do farmers and ranchers lose when their land is 
sold but we all lose. We lose open space, we lose a critical sense of 
community.
  The American Farmland Trust just published a report entitled Farming 
on the Edge. This report lists farmlands on the central coast of 
California as one of the 20 most threatened agricultural regions in the 
Nation. The report warns that the U.S. population is expected to jump 
50 percent by the mid-21st century and high quality farmlands will 
shrink 13 percent. During the same period the Nation could become a net 
food importer instead of a net food exporter.
  Mr. Speaker, we just cannot allow this to happen. This is why I am 
supporting legislation to provide needed estate tax relief to our 
Nation's family farmers and ranchers. Fortunately this message is being 
heard throughout the country. Both tax bills on the House floor last 
month addressed estate tax relief. The President agrees and has made 
estate tax relief for family farmers and businesses one of his top 
priorities. I have cosponsored a bipartisan

[[Page H4892]]

bill introduced by the House Committee on Appropriations chairman, the 
gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Livingston], my friend, to increase the 
tax exemption from the current level of $600,000 to $1.2 million. I ask 
my colleagues to join me in this effort.
  Mr. Speaker, it is also important that we encourage young people to 
become farmers and to be trained and educated to exert leadership in 
agribusiness. We need to make sure that agricultural education is 
strong and that groups like Future Farmers of America, the 4-H, 
Agriculture Future of America are supported and strengthened. I am 
intensely proud that Cal Poly State University in my district is noted 
as one of the best institutions in agricultural education in the 
Nation.
  This month as Congress grapples with monumental budget and tax bills, 
we must not forget about our Nation's family farmers and the pressures 
they face. We must make our Nation's family farms and ranches a 
priority and protect this vital ingredient of our American heritage. 
Family farming is an irreplaceable enterprise that we cannot afford to 
take for granted.

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