FTC Settlement Grants Farmers Right to Repair John Deere Equipment

The Federal Trade Commission and five states have reached a settlement with Deere & Company that will allow farmers to repair their own John Deere tractors and equipment using the same tools and software previously restricted to authorized dealers.

The agreement, announced July 8, 2026, resolves a lawsuit filed in January 2025 alleging that Deere unlawfully monopolized repair services for its farm equipment by withholding essential diagnostic software from farmers and independent repair shops. According to the FTC, these restrictions forced farmers to rely on authorized dealers for many repairs, causing service delays and higher costs.

What Deere must provide

Under the 10-year settlement, Deere must give farmers and independent repair providers access to repair resources equivalent to what authorized dealers receive. This includes software capabilities to read and clear electronic fault codes, reprogram electronic components, restart machines following emissions-related shutdowns, and access technical manuals and troubleshooting guidance.

The settlement also requires Deere to make any future repair resources available to farmers and independent shops once those tools reach more than 50 percent of its authorized dealer network in the United States.

Deere must instruct its authorized dealers to promote these repair resources and prohibit them from discriminating against farmers or independent providers who choose to perform their own repairs rather than use dealer services.

Why it matters

This settlement addresses a fundamental tension in modern agriculture: as farm equipment has become increasingly computerized, manufacturers have gained unprecedented control over repairs through proprietary software. The FTC's action recognizes that farmers' ability to maintain their own equipment—a practice with generations of precedent—directly affects operating costs that ripple through to food prices. For equipment that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and sits idle during critical planting or harvest windows, repair delays can mean substantial financial losses.

Enforcement and oversight

The settlement includes strict reporting requirements and FTC oversight to ensure compliance. The order can be extended beyond 10 years if Deere violates its terms. The agreement was approved by a 2-0 Commission vote and filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Joining the FTC in the settlement are Illinois, Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

"Today's settlement enables farmers to do what they've done for generations—fix their own tractors and other farm equipment—without having to pay an authorized John Deere dealer to do it for them," said FTC Bureau of Competition Director Daniel Guarnera.

The FTC's complaint alleged that Deere makes the only software repair tools capable of performing all electronic repairs on Deere equipment but had previously made such tools available only to authorized dealers, allowing the company to unlawfully acquire and maintain monopoly power in repair services markets.

Details of the settlement were first reported by the Federal Trade Commission.