Farmers and ranchers are being denied due process as part of an abuse of discretion by officials from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

That comes straight from a scathing ruling by the Seventh Circuit’s U.S. Court of Appeals.

The ruling is highlighted in a letter sent from the American Farm Bureau Federation to Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue asking him to enact much-needed reforms in the agency.

The letter focuses on the case of an Indiana farm owned by David and Rita Boucher.

The battle between the Boucher family and the NRCS has gone on for 17 years.

The Bouchers removed nine trees on 2.8 acres the agency declared a wetland, and the NRCS demanded they plant 300 trees per acre as compensation.

The court found that the NRCS wrongly accused the Bouchers of harming a non-existent wetland on their property.

The NRCS made no effort to correct the decision, even after the accusations were proven to be groundless.

The Farm Bureau letter notes that the Bouchers aren’t the only victims of regulatory abuse.

AFBF is asking Secretary Perdue to accept the Seventh Circuit’s decision and compensate the family for costs incurred during the battle against the government.