USDA backing Washington ranchers in standoff with state authorities

USDA backing Washington ranchers in standoff with state authorities

A years-long legal battle between a generational ranching farm in eastern Washington and state regulators has caught the eye of the nation's top agricultural official. U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says she’s going to intervene on behalf of ranchers in Washington state who are facing a criminal investigation over their use of public lands. The state Department of Ecology has issued a quarter-million-dollar fine against …