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Glenn and Wendy Sultemeier of the Blanco County Farm Bureau were among more than 140 county leaders of the Texas Farm Bureau who traveled to the nation’s capital March 23-26 for discussions on agricultural issues. It was the 30th anniversary of the National Affairs Awards Trip.

"You just really can’t put a dollar value on it. You can’t just talk to a representative and tell them what you want. When they support the things you believe in, you’ve got to come up here and thank them," Sultemeier said.

Sultemeier said reopening Cuba as a full-fledged market for U.S. products, cap-and-trade legislation, the EPA and the estate tax were on the visiting farmers’ and ranchers’ agenda.

"We are the only country in the world that does not let our citizens travel to Cuba," said Sultemeier. "Before the revolution in 1959, they bought almost all of their rice through Texas and they want to buy Texas rice again. Our rice farmers would really like that trade. It would certainly help the rice market."

Another key concern is the Environmental Protection Agency’s initiative to regulate greenhouse gases.

"It gets down to the point that it costs somebody in their pocketbook if it’s not done right," said Sultemeier, referring to possible cap-and-trade laws. "I don’t care how good or bad the science is. It needs to be done right and so that it doesn’t have unintended consequences for agriculture."

The House passed H.R. 4154, the Permanent Estate Tax Relief for Families, Farmers, and Small Businesses Act of 2009, at the end of last year. The bill makes permanent a $3.5 million exemption, with a 45 percent tax rate on the remainder of an estate.

The estate tax is eliminated for the course of 2010, but on January 1, 2011, the exemption returns to $1 million with a 55 percent tax rate on the remainder of an estate.

Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln is working to get a $5 million per person exemption with a 35 percent tax on the remainder of an estate.

"We should not have to break up family businesses, family farms and family ranches because of the estate tax," Sultemeier said. "That’s not fair and it’s not good for our economy."

The Farm Bureau group represented every region and many of the crops produced in the Lone Star State.