The industry giant faces FTC scrutiny over its repair policies, which critics say drive up costs and limit farmers’ choices. Meanwhile, elected officials in more than a dozen states are considering right-to-repair bills to improve independent repair access.
In its final days, the Biden administration sued John Deere over repair restrictions, calling them "unfair corporate tactics" that hurt farmers. The lawsuit joins a string a Big Ag cases that will soon be under the Trump administration's watch.
The Farm Bureau agreed not to support R2R legislation in exchange for consumer repair diagnostics. Farmers and repair advocates say the tools fall short.
In the mounting battle between manufacturers trying to protect their technology from intellectual theft and customers who want more freedom to fix things when that technology breaks down, the Biden administration has won some gratitude in farm country.
