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| Bob Bergland served as President Jimmy Carter's Secretary of Agriculture from January 23, 1977, until January 20, 1981.
My Dad met Bob Bergland at a farm meeting about 1979 or 1980. My Dad was learning about creating an estate plan for our farm in an era of exorbitant estate taxes after a neighbor's farm, with no debt, had to be sold to pay the estate tax after both parents were killed in an automobile accident.
Dad talked to Bergland after the meeting and shared his concern about the near impossible task of passing the farm onto the next generation. Bergland stated the administration goal: "We do not want the United States to be like Europe where only a few very wealthy families own all the land from generation to generation for centuries. We want estate taxes that will make the land available to anyone and everyone at the time of the owner's death".
My Dad felt he was sincere and honest but absolutely did not agree with him. It probably sparked the largest extinction of family farms in the history of this country and delivered the land to very wealthy families that will own the land from generation to generation for centuries.
If this was actually Carter's goal it was a disaster and shows how things can go awry.
Or was it an excuse for Congressional & Big Ag Covetousness? (a strong desire to possess something, especially something that belongs to someone else)
Estate planning attorneys from that era have told me today "That was a tough, tough time for estate planning". Many could not or did not and are history. | |
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Carter's Sec of Ag Bob Bergland and the Demolition of the Family Farm.
