The FTC has announced a landmark settlement with agricultural equipment giant John Deere resolving a 2025 lawsuit that accused the company of monopolistic practices in the repair services market for farm equipment. The settlement, which lets farmers and other John Deere customers the repair their own equipment, is a major win for the “right to repair” movement.
Wired reports that the settlement represents a significant win for farmers and “right to repair” advocates who have spent more than a decade pushing back against the company’s restrictive repair policies. The agreement requires John Deere to provide farmers and independent repair shops with the same access to equipment and repair resources that it offers to its authorized dealers.
Breitbart News reported on the FTC lawsuit last year when it was filed:
The lawsuits against John Deere center around the company’s repair practices, which have been a point of contention for farmers and right to repair advocates. To repair newer John Deere tractors, farmers require access to a piece of software called Service Advisor, which is typically only available to John Deere dealerships. Additionally, parts for these tractors can be difficult to obtain.
Judge Johnston highlighted the potential impact of these restrictions on farmers, stating, “Even if some farmers knew about the restrictions (a fact question), they might not be aware of or appreciate at the purchase time how those restrictions will affect them. For example: How often will repairs require Deere’s ADVISOR tool? How far will they need to travel to find an Authorized Dealer? How much extra will they need to pay for Deere parts?”
For agricultural producers, equipment downtime can have serious financial consequences. Delayed repairs often mean delayed harvests, which farmers have described as a fundamental threat to their livelihoods. The inability to quickly address equipment failures during critical farming periods has been a major source of frustration within the agricultural community.
The settlement imposes strict requirements on John Deere for the next decade. The company must provide comprehensive access to diagnostic software, repair manuals, and service equipment that was previously available only through official dealership networks. The FTC will monitor the company’s compliance with these obligations throughout the ten-year period.
Willie Cade, a board member of Repair.org, a repair advocacy organization, responded to the settlement with cautious optimism. “After years of fighting for the right to repair, this order gives farmers real hope,” Cade wrote. “But promises on paper must become tools in farmers’ hands, and we will be watching implementation every step of the way.”
This settlement comes shortly after John Deere agreed to pay $99 million in April to resolve a separate class action lawsuit filed against the company in 2022. Consumer and repair advocates argue that this FTC settlement will provide more tangible benefits to farmers than the monetary payout from the class action case.
In response to the settlement, John Deere has maintained that its existing repair resources for customers are already robust. The company’s official press release characterized the agreement as consistent with its current practices, stating that the settlement reinforces the company’s continued innovation toward more flexible repair options, emphasizing increased access and transparency for customers. John Deere described the agreement as formalizing its ongoing commitment to expanding access to diagnostic and repair tools.
The consumer advocacy group US PIRG, which filed an official complaint with the FCC about John Deere’s repair policies in 2022, issued a statement celebrating the settlement. Nathan Proctor, PIRG’s Right to Repair campaign director, emphasized the broader implications of the agreement. “We should be able to fix our own stuff,” Proctor wrote. “This settlement from the FTC gives farmers more and better options to repair their equipment. It is a win for farmers and all of us who want a more fixable world.”
Read more at Wired here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of AI, free speech, and online censorship.
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