Farm Bureau endorses Thompson for re-election to Congress

» October 21, 2010 «

A congressional leader for estate tax reform, Rep. Mike Thompson, has earned the endorsement of the California Farm Bureau Federation in his campaign for re-election. Thompson, D-Napa, seeks a seventh term representing the 1st Congressional District, which includes Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino and Napa counties and portions of Sonoma and Yolo counties.

Thompson is the House author of an estate tax-reform bill, the Family Farm Estate Tax Relief Act of 2010, which would defer federal estate taxes on farm and ranch property that remains in agricultural use.

“No issue hits home for family farmers more than estate tax reform, and Mike Thompson has campaigned tirelessly for sensible reform that allows farms and ranches to be passed from one generation to the next,” California Farm Bureau President Paul Wenger said. “He has championed this issue in the House and we appreciate his commitment to estate tax reform.”

As the representative of one of the nation’s signature wine-producing regions, Thompson has also worked for policies that break down barriers to wine sales.

“As a winegrape grower and a former winery employee, Mike Thompson knows how important the wine business is to the North Coast,” Wenger said. “Direct sales from wineries to consumers have become an increasingly valuable part of the business, and Mike has led efforts to make sure that state and local governments don’t put needless obstacles in the way of those sales.”

The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of 81,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of more than 6.2 million Farm Bureau members.

Contact: Dave Kranz
Phone: 916/561-5550
news@cfbf.com

Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the California Farm Bureau Federation when reprinting this item.