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., Nov. 6, 2025 — Following severe penalties issued by the Washington State Department of Ecology and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources against Wade and Teresa King, R-CALF USA has called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture for federal oversight to restore the family’s ability to operate their more than 70-year-old generational ranch.
In February 2023, the King Ranch of Grant and Douglas counties, Washington, was fined $267,450 by the Department of Ecology, which claimed they illegally excavated 22 wetlands. The Department of Natural Resources then canceled the family’s state grazing leases, effectively halting operations across the 21,000-acre ranch.
The Kings maintain they were simply cleaning out man-made stock ponds used for watering livestock and wildlife, not disturbing natural wetlands.
In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, R-CALF USA Property Rights Chair Shad Sullivan outlined the state’s alleged violations of due process, the misuse of taxpayer dollars and the devastating impact these actions have had on the Kings’ operation, as they have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars defending their livelihood.
“The actions taken by Washington’s Department of Ecology and Department of Natural Resources represent a gross abuse of power and a direct attack on private property rights,” said Sullivan. “This is nothing more than another land grab by out-of-control agencies that are waging a war on beef.”
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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.