John Deere Faces Backlash Over Practice Farmers Hate



Regulators sued John Deere on Wednesday, alleging the tractor-maker of ripping off farmers. They say the 187-year-old firm — the leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery — drives up repair costs by forcing farmers to rely on its authorized dealer network. It’s the latest scandal to hit John Deere in the past year. Over most of 2024, it was under fire for axing jobs in the Midwest and moving production to Mexico. The current lawsuit by the FTC argues that John Deere has unlawfully boosted its profits by requiring farmers to use its network of authorized dealers for repairs. That makes it difficult for farmers to use independent mechanics or do repairs themselves. The only software that enables repairs of all Deere equipment is produced by the company, which it only makes available to its dealer network. As a result, Deere has maintained a 100% market share, allowing it to hike prices. Illegal repair restrictions can be devastating for farmers, who rely on affordable and timely repairs to harvest their crops and earn their income. The lawsuit seeks to force John Deere to make its repair tools available to equipment owners and independent repair providers.