USDA and SBA announce partnership to combat ‘radical environmentalist’ lawfare against U.S. farmers, ranchers
OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
3:13 PM – Thursday, July 2, 2026
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to fight “abusive government overreach” in order to protect “America’s original small business, which is farming.”
Joined by SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler on Thursday, Rollins explained that a network of “radical environmentalist” non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies and activist groups have long targeted American ranchers and farmers, forcing them to pay sums of hundreds of thousands in fines, give up their best land, while forcing them to sell generational properties.
“The radical environmentalism agenda has done its share of damage to America’s farmers, and Secretary Rollins is leading the fight to end environmental lawfare,” the USDA stated in a press release on Thursday.
The MOU formalizes collaboration between the USDA and SBA and includes four main elements:
- A plan for joint complaint resolution in which both parties investigate and resolve lawfare complaints submitted through the USDA Lawfare Portal.
- Shared data analysis to identify patterns of issues and enact policy fixes across offending agencies.
- Government-wide coordination to “defend producers and small businesses.”
- Clear pathways to remedy rural and agricultural communities’ grievances.
A prime example is the case of Charles and Heather Maude, fifth-generation South Dakota ranchers whose family had worked their land for over a century before it was seized by the prior Biden administration at the urging of left-wing environmental groups.
Under former President Joe Biden’s administration, the Maudes were indicted separately on felony charges of theft of government property over a fence dispute, each facing up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. They were required by a judge to hire separate defense attorneys and were prevented from discussing the case.
Nonetheless, the charges, which gained national attention among agricultural advocacy groups, were eventually dropped under President Donald Trump’s USDA and Department of Justice (DOJ).
“They were bankrupted, basically, because of their legal fees,” Rollins explained to the Daily Wire. “At some point government has gotten too big and too weaponized … Producers and ranchers who feed this nation should never face the full power of government alone. This partnership with the SBA creates clear pathways for redress, ensures fairness in enforcement, and demonstrates that Washington stands with, not against, the hardworking Americans who sustain our country.”
“Farmers and ranchers do some of the hardest and most essential work in America, yet they have faced a growing burden from costly federal regulations – crushing generational businesses that lack the time, money, or legal resources to fight back,” Loeffler added. “With our MOU, the SBA and USDA now offer America’s producers a direct line to report lawfare, with a new infrastructure to deliver lasting regulatory reform. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are eliminating barriers and supporting small businesses in their mission to keep America fed, clothed, and fueled.”
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