This week, public lands ranchers Charles and Heather Maude visited Washington, D.C. following news that criminal charges levied against them under the Biden administration would be dropped thanks to the hard work of Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and President Donald J. Trump.
“Federal overreach on your private property is not an experience any farmer or rancher should ever have to face,” said National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President and Nebraska cattleman Buck Wehrbein. “I am thankful that the Maudes can return to their family ranch and their normal life free from the looming threat of federal charges.”
“The Maude family endured a living nightmare and for the first time in months, they can finally rest knowing that an overreaching federal government will no longer be trying to throw them in jail,” said Public Lands Council (PLC) President Tim Canterbury, a federal grazing permittee and Colorado rancher. “We are so thankful for the groundswell of support from the Trump administration, Secretary Rollins, and grassroots ranchers from around the country who rallied around the Maudes. PLC will continue fighting to make sure this situation never happens to another hardworking federal grazing permittee again. We are thrilled that Charles, Heather, and their children can return to regular life.”
On Wednesday, April 30, the Maude family attended a press conference on the steps of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Joining Secretary Rollins and the Maudes at the press conference was Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Senator Mike Rounds, Congressman Dusty Johnson, Governor Larry Rhoden, Congresswoman Harriet Hageman, NCBA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane, and PLC Executive Director Kaitlynn Glover.
Following the press conference at USDA, the Maude family and Glover met with senior officials at the U.S. Department of the Interior.
On Thursday, May 1, the Maude family traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with Senator Rounds and Congresswoman Hageman. The Maudes expressed gratitude for the support of elected officials in bringing their case to the Trump administration’s attention and they discussed policy avenues Congress can take to prevent this issue from occurring in the future. NCBA and PLC have supported the Fence Line Fairness Act introduced by Senator Rounds to create a formal boundary dispute mediation process that would avoid future criminal charges like the Maudes experienced. NCBA and PLC encourage cattle producers to contact their senators and urge support for the Fence Line Fairness Act.
Charles and Heather also had an opportunity to tell their story during media interviews from Washington, including live appearances on RFD-TV and Fox Business.
