John Deere agreed on July 8 to settle a lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and five U.S. states accusing the farm equipment maker of illegally requiring farmers to use its network of authorized dealers for repairs, rather than use independent service providers or do the work themselves.
Deere, officially Deere & Company, makes the only software repair tools capable of performing all electronic repairs on Deere equipment.
Deere, however, has previously made such tools available only to its authorized dealers, forcing farmers to rely on authorized dealers for many necessary repairs, according to the FTC and the states’ lawsuit filed in January last year by the Biden administration.
The FTC alleged that Deere limits the distribution of this tool to authorized dealers only, preventing farmers and independent repair shops from making the same range of repairs that official dealers can perform.
An alternative version of the software—Customer Service ADVISOR—is said to be incapable of offering the same level of functionality, creating what the commission describes as an unlawful chokehold on essential farm equipment repairs
By withholding these repair capabilities, the complaint said, Deere unlawfully acquired and maintained monopoly power in markets for repair services for Deere farm equipment.
Deere’s practices led to service delays and higher costs for farmers, the complaint further alleged.
The FTC’s settlement requires Deere, for the next 10 years and under the supervision of the FTC and plaintiff states, to provide farmers and independent repair providers with the same equipment repair resources, including applicable software capabilities, that it currently provides to authorized Deere dealers.
“Today’s settlement enables farmers to do what they’ve done for generations—fix their own tractors and other farm equipment—without having to pay an authorized John Deere dealer to do it for them,” said FTC Bureau of Competition director Daniel Guarnera.
“The settlement with Deere will help lower costs for American farmers. The FTC will continue fighting against anticompetitive restrictions on American consumers’ right to repair.”
Deere will also be subject to strict reporting and oversight requirements to ensure its compliance with the stipulated order.
The proposed order requires court approval.
In a July 8 statement, Deere said the agreement reinforces its “years-long commitment” to expanding customer access, transparency, and repair flexibility.
The company neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing under the settlement.
“We’ve said from the beginning that our focus is on helping customers keep their machines running when and how they need them,” said Denver Caldwell, John Deere vice president of aftermarket and customer support.
“This agreement bolsters that commitment, and we’re confident it will make a real difference for the people who depend on our equipment every day. We share the Administration’s and the states’ desire to put farmers first while preserving Deere’s ability to support American agricultural productivity, equipment safety, and innovation.”
The settlement comes as the Trump administration is backing right-to-repair measures for farmers and vehicle owners.
“Last month, we issued a major new rule declaring that farmers have a right to repair your own equipment,” President Donald Trump said on March 27. “You didn’t have the right to fix your own equipment. We ended that rather quickly, and now you do.”
“We had the auto industry in yesterday. They don’t want people to fix their car. I said, ‘That’s strange!’” he said at the time. “They have a thing; nobody’s allowed to fix their car.”
