Trump Admin Drops Criminal Charges Against South Dakota Family Farmers

The Department of Agriculture had charged the ranchers with theft last year over a fence line dispute with the government.

Members of the Maude family attend a press conference outside the Department of Agriculture in Washington on April 30, 2025. Win McNamee/Getty Images

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under President Donald Trump has dropped charges against a small family farm in South Dakota.

Charles and Heather Maude, a couple who run a cattle and pig ranch on 400 acres near Mount Rushmore, became embroiled in a land dispute under former President Joe Biden’s administration. The USDA at the time alleged that the Maudes were grazing their cattle on a small plot of land belonging to the federal government.