At the recent Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting in San Diego, Senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays spoke with Executive Director of Government Affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Kent Bacus. Our Coverage from San Diego is powered by Farm Data Services of Stillwater.
Kent Bacus emphasized the enormous impact of the “one big, beautiful tax law.” Bacus, NCBA’s Executive Director of Government Affairs, explained that this law provides certainty for producers beyond 2025, something that was previously lacking. “We don’t have to worry about expiring provisions at the end of 2025,” he said. This long-term stability allows cattle producers to confidently make decisions regarding succession planning, major capital investments, and other future-facing business moves.
Bacus credited the bill’s passage to both political leadership and the consistent pressure from cattle producers themselves. He praised President Trump and congressional leaders for the speed at which the bill moved, noting, “Tax bills always take a long time to get done the rate of speed at which they moved speaks volumes.” But he emphasized the importance of grassroots support: “Our affiliates played a very important role in helping gather that information” through a tax survey of over 1,200 producers, which was crucial in educating lawmakers about the real-world benefits of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
He detailed several of the key tax provisions that directly benefit cattle producers. “The estate tax exemption levels being bumped up to $15 million per individual, $30 million per couple, indexed for inflation” was a major victory, as was the preservation of the stepped-up basis, which Bacus called “fantastic.” Other significant wins include Section 199A, which ensures a 20% deduction for pass-through income, and Section 179, which allows deductions up to $2.5 million on equipment and infrastructure purchases. He also noted that bonus depreciation is back at 100% and permanent, giving producers powerful tools to grow and reinvest.
With the law now permanent, Bacus said the focus shifts toward implementation, working with the IRS to ensure maximum benefit for rural America. “I know that sounds kind of weird to say we’re actually going to work with the IRS… but in this case, we are.” The permanence of the law is critical, he explained: “This isn’t a four-year or five-year window… Congress is going to have to repeal these laws.” Bacus believes few politicians would want to go on record as reversing such producer-friendly policies. “No politician is going to want that,” he said, stressing how much this permanence helps mom-and-pop operations as it levels the playing field and will allow them to compete with big corporations.
Bacus concluded by calling the law a transformational win for cattle producers and rural communities. “This is a big win for our producers as this is what we can really hang our hats on.” He emphasized that the new tax structure allows for more than just stability — it enables innovation, expansion, and the preservation of generational family farms. “This is what we need, these are the kind of tools that we need, and now we’ve got them,” Bacus said, signaling confidence in a stronger, more secure future for the cattle industry.
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