Ellison sues John Deere, says farmers aren’t allowed to fix their own tractors

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is suing iconic tractor manufacturer John Deere over farmers’ rights to repair their own machines.

Citing the frustration of farmers who are forced to rely on authorized dealers to fix broken-down tractors, Ellison joined the Federal Trade Commission and the Illinois attorney general in charging Deere & Co. with anticompetitive practices Wednesday in federal court in Chicago.

“Deere has made it virtually impossible for farmers themselves or independent repair shops to fully repair Deere equipment,” Ellison said in a statement. “I’m filing this lawsuit against Deere to end their unlawful repair monopoly and make it easier for Minnesota farmers to afford their lives.”

In a statement on Wednesday evening, John Deere said the lawsuit is based on “fatally flawed legal theories.”

“This lawsuit, filed on the eve of a change in [presidential] Administration, ignores the Company’s long-standing commitment to customer self-repair and the consistent progress and innovation we have made over time,” the company wrote.

The Moline, Ill.-based company, which since the 1800s has built the tractors and farm machinery as common as red barns in farm country, has been at the center of a cloud of antitrust scrutiny in farm country in recent years over what has often been called the “right-to-repair” campaign.

The company has previously defended its technology as proprietary, locking independent technicians out of software or requiring Deere parts for repairs. Farmers often lament tractors stalling in the fields during spring planting and needing to wait hours, even days, for an authorized technician to reach the farmer for repair.

In 2023, Colorado passed the first “right-to-repair” legislation, requiring equipment manufacturers to allow owners or independent repair businesses the ability to repair the manufacturers’ machines. Minnesota passed a similar measure that year but notably exempted agricultural equipment manufacturers from the law’s purview.

In fall 2023, a top official with the U.S. Department of Justice visited a farm outside Cannon Falls, Minn., and spoke on antitrust concerns, including the ability of farmers to repair machinery they’ve purchased.

“This lawsuit represents a critical step in creating a more competitive market for farm equipment that will benefit farmers and independent repair technicians,” said Gary Wertish, president of the Minnesota Farmers Union.

The 37-page lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges Deere can charge “supracompetitive prices” for violating the Clayton Antitrust Act and restricting access to “electronic control units” that have become as vital to operating the 21st-century tractors as a combustion engine. While Deere reached a deal with farmers association the American Farm Bureau Federation to allow farmers and independent repair technicians access to Deere equipment, the lawsuit calls this a “half measure.”

Plaintiffs have asked for an injunction against Deere, which reported $7.1 billion in profits in 2024.