By Julie Tomascik
Editor

Farmers and independent technicians could soon have greater access to the tools needed to repair John Deere equipment under a proposed settlement announced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and attorneys general from five states.

The settlement resolves an antitrust lawsuit alleging Deere & Company restricted access to repair resources, which forced farmers to rely on the company’s authorized dealer network for many equipment repairs.

If approved by the court, the agreement will require Deere to provide farmers and independent repair providers with the same repair resources and software capabilities currently available to its authorized dealers for the next 10 years.

It also requires the company to make future repair resources available once they are deployed to more than half of Deere’s authorized U.S. dealer network.

According to the FTC, the settlement also prohibits Deere from retaliating against farmers or independent repair providers who use those resources to diagnose or repair equipment.

“For too long, Deere has unfairly forced farmers to rely on its authorized dealer network for critical repairs, leaving farmers with little choice but to pay higher prices and endure longer wait times,” FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson said. “[This] settlement ensures that farmers and independent repair providers will have access to the tools and information they need to repair Deere equipment, reducing costly delays and promoting competition.”

The agreement follows a lawsuit filed in January 2025 by the FTC and the attorneys general of Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The complaint alleged Deere’s repair restrictions increased costs for farmers and limited competition in the agricultural equipment repair market.

Under the proposed settlement, Deere must provide access to current repair resources, continue making future tools available and submit to compliance reporting and monitoring for 10 years.

If the company violates the agreement, the monitoring period may be extended.

Deere will also pay $1 million to the participating states to cover litigation costs.

The FTC voted unanimously to approve the proposed settlement, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The agreement will take effect once approved by the court.