South Dakota U.S. Senator Mike Rounds has reintroduced the Fence Line Fairness Act in the 119th Congress. This legislation would create a formal mediation process for land boundary disputes between landowners and the United States Forest Service (USFS). Rounds first introduced this legislation in December 2024.
“Landowners deserve a proper notice and review process regarding land disputes with the federal government,” said Rounds. “The U.S. Forest Service has recently been unwilling to work with landowners on minor boundary disputes. The Fence Line Fairness Act would establish a formal notification and mediation process for USFS and landowners to sit down at the table to discuss disputes in order to avoid an escalation to unnecessary criminal charges and indictments.”
The Fence Line Fairness Act would create a committee made up of appointed producers, tasked with mediating disputes and providing recommendations to both the agency and involved producers. The committee would be made up of producers from the state, two of which are appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and three of which are appointed by the state’s Department of Agriculture or Natural Resources.
About 2.6 million acres in South Dakota are federally owned, 76 percent of which are managed by USFS. Congress has authorized land agencies to offer leases to local producers to use the land in a way that supports economic activity while also preserving natural resources, such as grazing or mining. Many producers who obtain these leases also have private land that borders USFS land, which is typically where boundary disputes arise.
This legislation is supported by South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association, South Dakota Stockgrowers Association, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, R-CALF USA, Public Lands Council and United States Cattlemen’s Association.
“Introducing mediation that includes local producers and entities who know the land and know the parties and their operation will resolve issues that come forward regarding minor fence line disputes with the U.S. Forest Service,” said Carl Sanders, South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association’s Federal Lands Policy Committee Chair. “As a producer who works closely with the Forest Service through grazing on a Grasslands Forest Service Permit, I believe that through the necessary steps, conflict can be resolved and a compromise will be made.”
“We’re already experiencing situations where uncertainty over boundary lines with the federal government is disrupting the lives and livelihoods of ranchers and potentially threatening their ability to continue ranching,” said Bill Bullard, CEO of R-CALF. “Senator Rounds’ bill is a common-sense intervention that holds the promise of alleviating such drastic and costly outcomes.”
“The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association commends the work of Senator Rounds for working to protect ranchers from the lengthy timelines that come with mediation of federal disputes,” said Justin Tupper, President of the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association. “The Fence Line Fairness Act would help producers resolve disputes in a more fair, timely, and local manner. This is the beginning of a larger conversation about the rights of landowners on or adjacent to public lands. We support this bill and hope for its inclusion in the next Farm Bill.”
Rounds has been a proponent of preventing federal government overreach on landowners in South Dakota. Rounds recently reintroduced legislation to guarantee landowners a wetland redetermination process when working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
Click HERE for full bill text.
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