For Immediate Release
By: R-CALF USA Marketing Director Jaiden Moreland
Contact: R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard
Phone: 406-252-2516; r-calfusa@r-calfusa.com
BILLINGS, Mont., Dec. 12, 2025 — R-CALF USA commended the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for intervening in the King Ranch case in Washington state. In a letter to the Washington Department of Ecology and the Washington Department of Natural Resources, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins raised concerns about excessive penalties, revoked grazing leases and what she described as secretive criminal proceedings brought without due process.
In 2023, the ranch was fined more than $250,000 after the Department of Ecology claimed the family had illegally excavated wetlands. The Kings maintain they were cleaning long-established manmade stock ponds. The Department of Natural Resources later canceled the ranch’s grazing leases, effectively shutting down operations across more than 21,000 acres. R-CALF USA has said these actions represent a misuse of state authority and a direct threat to private property rights.
In the letter, Rollins wrote that USDA and third-party reviews found no evidence of wetland conversion under federal or state law and confirmed that the ponds are manmade structures used for livestock water for more than 60 years. She said state agencies are wrongfully punishing lawful land stewardship and warned that the administration will not tolerate targeted lawfare against agricultural producers. Rollins also stated USDA is reviewing federal funding to Washington state agencies that may be weaponized against ranchers.
“We applaud Secretary Rollins for stepping into this case and calling out improper state government action,” said R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard. “USDA’s intervention brings needed accountability to the lawfare waged against American ranching families.”
“We appreciate USDA’s action and look forward to working closely with Secretary Rollins to help resolve this case and confront the overreach and abuse of power that threaten ranch families across the West,” said R-CALF USA Property Rights Chair Shad Sullivan. “Protecting private property rights is absolutely essential to stopping the broader war on beef and preserving the future of America’s cattle industry.”
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Ranchers Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) is the largest producer-only lobbying and trade association representing U.S. cattle and sheep producers. It is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle and sheep industries. Visit www.r-calfusa.com or call 406-252-2516 for more information.