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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Thursday, March 06, 2025
The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general in Minnesota and Illinois on Wednesday sued farm equipment giant John Deere, accusing it of unlawfully limiting farmers’ ability to repair equipment on their own.
The Federal Trade Commission is investigating farm equipment giant John Deere over its repair practices, according to a civil investigative demand (CID) newly made public.
Farm equipment giant John Deere inserted language acknowledging customers’ abilities to use mechanics “of their own choosing” for emissions control device repairs into 556 of its product manuals in order to comply with Environmental Protection Agency regulations, newly unearthed documents show.
Groups working to help farmers and consumers get legal rights to the information and parts they want to fix equipment are pushing the Federal Trade Commission for regulations on manufacturers’ repair policies.
Restricting foreign ownership of U.S. land, codifying a “right to repair" farm equipment and imposing labeling restrictions on lab-grown meat are just a few of the ideas up for debate as state legislatures across the U.S. convene for their 2024 sessions.
A sweeping new deal between an ag equipment giant and the nation's largest farm group offers an update to the nation's "right to repair" discourse, but some wonder if the text has the necessary teeth to truly make a difference for producers.
A clash between a right-to-repair advocate and an equipment dealership owner at a congressional hearing Wednesday was indicative of the internal battles legislators will wage as they consider measures that would require machinery manufacturers to provide software, parts and tools to customers looking to make their own repairs.
The National Farmers Union, along with six of its state affiliates and five “right to repair” organizations, filed a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission Thursday alleging farm equipment giant John Deere is violating antitrust laws by restricting access to software embedded in its machines.
President Joe Biden plans to direct the Agriculture Department to take actions to curb the market power of agribusiness giants, including by enabling farmers to repair their high-tech machinery.
As farm equipment involves more and more technology, some producers have expressed frustration over repairs that involve tools outside of what they might have in their onboard toolbox.
