Statement of Frederick J. Jaindl, Sr., Owner, Jaindl Family Farms

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, I am Frederick J. Jaindl and I am the Owner of Jaindl Family Farms in Orefield, Pennsylvania.

In 1947, after serving time in the armed forces, I started a turkey farm with $600. Over the years, working long days, seven days a week, every day of the year, I was able to build our farm in to the largest singly owned turkey farm in the United States.

Like many American farmers, everything my wife and I earned was reinvested into the farm, except for monies for taxes and necessities. We worked hard at constantly improving the farm, investing in equipment, land and people. Today we employ over 100 hard working men and women. During the past 50 years we have purchased more that 13,000 acres of land to grow grain to feed our turkeys.

My wife and I have eight children and fourteen grandchildren. All their life we instilled the values of hard work and the importance of family. Today I am blessed to have all my children working beside me on the farm.

My concerns regard what I will be able to leave to my children. The current estate taxes will severely limit my ability to pass down the family farm. Everything my wife and children and I have worked for is in our land. With the current estate tax laws my children may lose everything we have worked a lifetime to build and be forced to liquidate our family farm. Our family legacy may become just another one of the 70% of the family farms that was killed by the death tax.

American farmers are faced with a daily lifetime of battles including draughts, floods, maintaining healthy flocks and herds, etc. and our reward for our years of hard work and dedication is knowing that our largest battle will have to be faced by our children in their battle to try to hold onto the family farm. We worked hard all our lives and always paid our taxes and when we die the government will tax our children on money they have already taxed us on.

This is an issue that all Americans should be deeply concerned about. The death of the American Family Farms doesn't just affect the farmers and their families it affects our entire nation. We farmers feed the nation, so the next time you take a bite out of apple, pour milk into a child's cup or when contemplating what you'd would like for breakfast, think about where the nation will be once all the family farms have been killed by the death tax.

I strongly urge the Committee on Ways and Means to support the elimination of the federal estate tax.