California rancher Kevin Kester was in attendance during Trump ' s announcement of the OBBB. Official White House photo.
to allow U. S. beef to be sold in Australia. In the last 20 years, Australia has used countless tactics to delay implementation of the agreement and prevent any shipments of fresh or frozen U. S. beef from entering Australia. In the same 20-year period, Australia has sold more than $ 28 billion worth of their beef in the U. S. It is a relief to finally turn the page on one of the longest-running, non-tariff barriers on U. S. beef.
Additionally, President Trump’ s trade agreement-in-principle with the U. K. included market access for beef. This announcement follows years of NCBA’ s work building the foundation for a trade deal with the U. K., including numerous meetings with British industry stakeholders, Members of Parliament, the British Embassy, the U. K. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and other top British authorities. NCBA spent years advocating for expanded trade with the U. K. and when the U. K. left the European Union in 2020, that opened the door to secure trade agreements with countries like the U. S. British and American cattle producers share similar values, and British consumers also enjoy American beef.
Tax Relief
One of NCBA’ s top priorities for 2025 is securing important tax relief for our members, and we are happy to report that the One Big Beautiful Bill contains many wins for cattle producers. NCBA worked closely with Congress and the White House to secure passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, and on July 4, President Trump signed the bill into law with many of NCBA’ s key provisions included.
Securing meaningful relief from the Death Tax was a top priority for NCBA, and the new tax law increases the Death Tax exemption to $ 15 million per individual or $ 30 million per couple, adjusted annually for inflation. This means if the value of a farm or ranch plus equipment, cattle and other assets, are less than $ 15 million individually or $ 30 million as a couple, the owner will not pay the Death Tax. The Death Tax has forced many farmers and ranchers to sell off land, equipment or cattle to pay the high tax. NCBA will continue our pursuit of eliminating the Death Tax, but until then, this increased threshold is a huge victory for protecting more family farms and ranches than ever before.
We are also happy to report that Section 199A Small Business tax deduction is made permanent at 20 %. Section 199A allows small businesses, like family farms and ranches, to deduct 20 % of their business income, helping them save more of their hard-earned money.
Another key victory is the increase of the Section 179 deduction for capital improvements and equipment purchases, and the restoration of 100 % bonus depreciation. Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill, farmers and ranchers will now be able to deduct up to $ 2.5 million in qualified equipment expenses. The phaseout threshold for this deduction is increased to $ 4 million and these limits will be adjusted annually for inflation.
Bonus depreciation allows small business owners to deduct the cost of equipment upfront, rather than deduct depreciation over several years. Under this bill, 100 % bonus depreciation is made permanent. The One Big Beautiful Bill permanently extends itemized deductions for personal casualty losses resulting from federally declared disasters. This is an extension of the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act that was previously supported by NCBA and enacted in December 2024.
Predators
NCBA continues to work on issues regarding a wide variety of predators that impact cattle herds. We continue to engage in management tools and delisting efforts through legislation and regulation for the Mexican gray wolf, black vultures, gray wolves, other predatory birds, the grizzly bear and more.
This year, NCBA supported the Enhancing Safety for Animals( ESA) Act. Introduced by Rep. Paul Gosar( R-AZ), the ESA Act would delist the Mexican gray wolf and separate the populations in the U. S. and Mexico, removing longstanding burdens for population recovery that have been borne solely by U. S. producers. The Mexican gray wolf is listed under the Endangered Species Act as a 10( J) experimental population, and the federal protections that come with that listing have
18 NATIONAL CATTLEMEN DIRECTIONS 2025