Margaret was raised on a large cow calf operation in central Nevada. She became actively involved in the property rights movement after her parents, Wayne and Jean Hage, filed Hage v. United States in the Federal Court of Claims in 1991.

She launched Stewards of the Range in 1992 to help landowners facing similar issues which merged into American Stewards of Liberty in 2009. She continues to serve as Executive Director. The organization has been in front of some of the most successful property rights victories since its formation.

Over the years, Margaret has worked on a multitude of property rights issues including proposals in Congress, property rights litigation, and by helping local governments assert their coordinate role in communities across the nation. She was actively involved with the local governments credited with defeating the I-35 Trans Texas Corridor and more recently preventing the endangered listing of the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard.

Margaret holds a Bachelors degree in English and Music received from the College of Idaho. She is married to Dan Byfield and has one daughter and three step children.