The U.S. Federal Trade Commission announced Wednesday that it has reached a settlement with John Deere over allegations that the farm equipment manufacturer restricted competition in repair services for its machinery.
The settlement follows a 2025 FTC lawsuit accusing Deere of unlawfully acquiring and maintaining monopoly power in markets for repairing Deere farm equipment. Under the agreement, the company must provide farmers and independent repair shops access to the same repair tools, equipment, and resources available to authorized John Deere dealers.
The order includes access to software functions used to diagnose and repair equipment, such as reading and clearing error codes and pairing replacement parts with machine systems. Farmers and repair advocates have argued that limited access to these tools caused repair delays, which can be especially significant during planting and harvest seasons.
The requirements will remain in place for 10 years and will be monitored by the FTC.
John Deere has said the settlement reflects its existing efforts to expand repair options. In a company statement, Deere said the agreement “reinforces” its work toward more flexible repair choices and greater transparency for customers. The company has maintained that it already provides a range of repair resources, including manuals and diagnostic equipment.
The settlement is the latest development in a long-running dispute over farmers’ ability to repair their own equipment or use independent repair providers. Farmers and right-to-repair advocates have challenged Deere’s repair policies for more than a decade. The FTC began pursuing right-to-repair enforcement more actively in 2021 under then-chair Lina Khan.
Earlier this year, Deere agreed to pay $99 million in a separate class action lawsuit related to repair restrictions. Some repair advocates said the FTC settlement could have a broader practical effect because it requires access to tools and software rather than only financial compensation.
Advocacy groups including Repair.org and U.S. PIRG welcomed the settlement while saying implementation will be important. They argued the agreement could expand repair choices for farmers and serve as a significant development in the wider right-to-repair debate.