Farmers Are Getting Control Of Their Equipment Back
For years, John Deere had actively made repairing their tractors near-impossible for anyone but itself and the few "authorized" repair shops—regardless of the ability of its customers to actually visit such shops. Now, in a major win for farmers and right to repair advocates, John Deere must soon provide farmers with not just the tools and resources to finally repair their own John Deere…
John Deere, a dominant force in farm equipment, faced a significant legal challenge from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2025. The FTC accused John Deere of restricting farmers and independent repair providers (IRPs) from repairing their own John Deere equipment. In a major settlement, John Deere agreed to provide farmers with access to repair tools, resources, and future updates for their equipment.
Five states that joined the suit will collaborate with the FTC over the next ten years to ensure compliance. This case is also part of a broader antitrust lawsuit against John Deere, addressing farmers' right to repair their equipment. The issue highlights how increased computerization in machinery allows companies to control repair access, often leading to monopolies and criminalizing unauthorized repairs.
This settlement is a significant step toward right to repair laws, ensuring consumers truly own their devices and can repair them independently.
Written by urgent.news from EFF Deeplinks's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
