Farmers across the country earned a big win last week when the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) settled with John Deere, ensuring new standards for farmers and independent technicians to be able to make repairs to John Deere equipment.
Deere had been at the center of a right-to-repair fight for years as five states brought a suit against the company alleging that Deere was undertaking anti-competitive practices by restricting farmers from accessing repair materials and requiring Deere equipment to be repaired at authorized dealerships.
NFU filed a formal complaint against Deere in 2022 as part of the long fight for farmers’ right to repair their own equipment.
This settlement includes many important stipulations that NFU fought for, including:
- Requiring Deere to make available to farmers and independent repair shops the same repair resources as its own dealers, on fair and reasonable terms.
- Ability to read, clear and reset fault codes on the equipment.
- Getting equipment out of “limp mode” after an emissions-related shutdown, without needing a dealer.
- If Deere rolls out new repair tools to more than half of its dealer network down the road, a requirement it makes those available to farmers and independent shops, too
- Strict FTC reporting and oversight requirements for 10 years
In response to the settlement, President Larew said, “Farmers Union championed this win from the beginning, and we are happy to see the settlement provide farmers with what they should have had all along: the right to repair their own equipment. Today’s action didn’t happen by accident. Farmers across the country refused to stay quiet about this injustice. This settlement belongs to them.”
What’s Next: Despite these wins, NFU will be on high alert for problems from Deere with compliance. Farmers will be watching closely. And this settlement only reinforces the need for legislation that guarantees farmers’ right to repair.
