WASHINGTON (DTN) -- The U.S. secretaries of Agriculture and Homeland Security on Wednesday shined a spotlight on a South Dakota ranch family that had been facing federal charges under the Biden administration over a fencing dispute with the U.S. Forest Service.

Republican officials leveled charges of extreme government overreach by the previous administration with attempts to "make felons out of farmers."

In a case that drew attention from cattlemen's groups and western landowners, Charles and Heather Maude were facing federal theft charges over a fence line dispute with the Forest Service that involved a center pivot on their ground that crossed over into Forest Service land.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Wednesday led a press conference outside USDA headquarters on the National Mall with the Maude family, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem -- the former South Dakota governor -- and other officials from South Dakota and Wyoming. They announced charges against the family had been dropped by the Trump administration.

"This family was targeted solely over what should have been a minor civil dispute over grazing rights on 25 acres of public land was prosecuted, credibly threatened with jail sentences so extreme that they were told to find alternatives to raise their young children," Rollins said.

Rollins reached back 250 years to the battles of Lexington and Concord to point out the country was founded by average people fighting against a tyrannical government filled with people who believed they could do as they wish against everyday Americans. Rollins called the prosecution of the Maude family, "in the words of Thomas Jefferson, a fire bell in the night."

"For years now, they have endured a torturous legal process and suffered as victims of the Biden regime's reckless warfare. Just imagine a government that would be willing to de facto orphan American children over a mere dispute of 25 acres of land," Rollins said. She added, "The men of Lexington and Concord knew what that sort of government was like ... and they knew what to do about it. The Maude family, too, faced with destruction at the hand of the state, made their appeal to heaven and Providence answered. Thanks to the leadership and the unequivocal and bold leadership of President Trump and his directive to put Americans first, we have the pleasure to announce that the criminal prosecution of the Maudes is now over. They will not be driven from their home, they will not be jailed, they will not be fined, and their children will grow up with the mother and the father they love and who love them."

To respond to what she said was "egregious lawfare from the Biden administration," Rollins announced USDA is launching a portal on the https://www.usda.gov/… website for producers to share details about government overreach.

"We are ending regulation by prosecution in America and investigating how and why this wrongful prosecution of an American ranching family ever occurred in the first place," Rollins said.

While pointing to an egregious use of federal courts against a South Dakota ranch family, Wednesday's event helping mark the first 100 days of the Trump administration was also a way to deflect from bad news about the economy, falling stock markets, trade disruption and Trump's overall sagging polling numbers in the first three months of this administration. Just minutes after the event, Rollins was on Fox News touting that the administration was in the early days of trade talks and potential bailout of American farmers might not be necessary even though a contingency plan is being put in place.

The Maudes operate a ranch and farm that is now in its fifth generation in Pennington County, South Dakota, not far from Mount Rushmore. The couple farms 400 acres, raises 250 head of cattle and has about 40 sows. Their property is adjacent to the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, which is administered by the U.S. Forest Service.

Heather Maude, speaking for the family, noted about their couple's family history, "Our families have a combined 250 plus years in production agriculture," she said, saying there was a pause when members of the family fought for the country in World War II. Maude became emotional thanking R-CALF USA and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA), which took up their cause.

"When you know when this hit, it hit at the heart and soul of our place, that it's been in Charles family since 1910," Heather Maude said.

She also thanked others, including neighbors. "Our neighbors who stood up for us at the threat of retribution to their operations that they still face until we get this completely resolved," Heather Maude said. "And we are so thankful for the efforts that are being rolled out today to help make progress in the right direction."

Noem, who was South Dakota's governor last year, specifically said the prosecution of the Maudes would have never occurred if former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack had just gotten engaged in the dispute. Noem said she first wrote a letter to Vilsack then spoke to the former secretary about it.

"He completely ignored our pleas for justice," Noem said. "Listen, I know I'm a farmer and rancher of many generations, and land is everything to farmers and ranchers. It's our legacy. It's what we leave our kids."

DTN reached out to Vilsack for comment on the case but did not receive an immediate response.

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden, who also ranches about 70 miles from the Maude family, said the case was not about picking a battle with the Biden administration or getting headlines.

"It was about delivering real results for Charles and Heather Maude," Rhoden said. "Unfortunately, Secretary Vilsack and President Biden ignored our pleas. But that all changed. In November, President Trump was elected by the American people."

In an interview, Rhoden said he believed there was a breakdown in communication over the years between the Forest Service and the landowners. That then eventually culminated with the criminal charges, "which was really bizarre," he said.

"So, when I got wind of it, I was pretty appalled by the severity of the charges and the way they were brought about, regardless of the circumstances," Rhoden said.

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said federal officials who have pushed to prosecute farm families for these kinds of situations need to be held to account. He added he looks forward to "running out every single bad actor in these federal agencies." Rounds also said he will be introducing legislation to mandate federal mediation in disputes between landowners and the Forest Service.

"The Maudes were on this land even before the Forest Service existed," Rollins noted.

Reps. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., and Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., also spoke. Hageman also criticized the federal armed "agent" who showed up at the Maude's ranch to press the issue and federal indictment.

"The agent had complete disregard for the decades-long relationship between the Maude's family and the agency, and used his role in an unconstitutional effort to make felons out of farmers," Hageman said. Pointing to Rollins and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Hageman added, "Gone are the days of the government working against the people under the leadership of President Donald J Trump and those individuals he surrounded himself with."

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayon@dtn.com

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