On May 29, 2025, Food & Water Watch and several partner organizations scored a major victory in the fight for America’s wetlands when a federal district court judge in the Northern District of Iowa issued an opinion upholding critical wetlands protections. The case, CTM Holdings, LLC v. U.S. Department of Agriculture, centered on Swampbuster — a longstanding USDA program that makes eligibility for farm benefits like crop insurance contingent on a farmer’s agreement not to destroy wetlands. Swampbuster is credited with protecting millions of acres of wetlands over the past forty years. CTM Holdings, and a corporate landlord who owns over 1,000 acres of Iowa farmland, sued USDA with the goal — straight out of Project 2025 — of striking down Swampbuster as unconstitutional and invalidating USDA regulations implementing the program. The radical anti-environmental Pacific Legal Foundation was behind this lawsuit, as well as many other legal attacks on wetlands protections. With the Iowa Farmers Union, Dakota Rural Action, and other allies, we intervened in the case to defend this critical program. Fortunately for farmers and wetlands, in June, 2025, the Court soundly rejected each of the plaintiff’s dangerous arguments. Our victory was solidified on July 28, 2025 when CTM Holdings decided not to appeal. We won on all summary judgement claims and the case is now over.

The Court first found that corporate landowner CTM Holdings had no right to be in court, because it was not harmed by USDA’s implementation of Swampbuster in any way. Though the case could have been dismissed on this basis alone, the Court did not stop there. Instead, the opinion went on to consider and resoundingly reject CTM Holdings’ and Pacific Legal Foundation’s series of arguments that Swampbuster is unconstitutional and that USDA’s regulations are unlawful. Ultimately, the Court recognized that Swampbuster is an entirely voluntary program, and that farmers remain free to do whatever they like with their property.

This victory is significant, not only for wetlands, but for family farmers and taxpayers as well. Because farmers control huge swaths of land across the U.S., their land management choices impact the rest of the country. Wetlands on farmland sequester carbon and agricultural pollutants and lessen the impacts of droughts and flooding by improving water quality and quantity downstream. Farmers who employ commonsense land stewardship practices are rewarded for their contributions to the public good with access to USDA benefits. Turning these benefits into an entitlement program open to corporate landowners with no incentive to safeguard land for future generations would be devastating for wetland ecosystems, downstream communities, and the climate. This Swampbuster ruling confirms what we already knew — the government is allowed to condition federal benefits to ensure taxpayer money is spent responsibly.

This article was updated to reflect plaintiff’s decision not to appeal on July 28, 2025.