The Sconi

Attorney General Josh Kaul has joined forces with four states and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in a legal action against Deere & Company. The lawsuit accuses the agricultural equipment manufacturer of engaging in practices that inflate repair costs for farmers and limit their ability to perform timely repairs on essential farming machinery.

"This case is seeking to make the market for farming equipment repairs more competitive," stated Attorney General Kaul. "When Wisconsin farmers need to get their farming equipment repaired, they should be able to get the repairs at a fair price, without unnecessary delay."

The complaint alleges that Deere's practices have long restricted farmers and independent repair providers from fixing Deere equipment. This situation has compelled farmers to depend on Deere's authorized dealers for necessary repairs, which allegedly increases Deere's profits while imposing higher costs on farmers.

According to the lawsuit, Deere maintains a dominant position in the large agricultural equipment market and has made it challenging for farmers to repair their own machinery or seek help from local, independent repair providers. The only comprehensive software tool capable of all necessary repairs on Deere equipment is produced by Deere itself and is exclusively available to its authorized dealers.

The lawsuit aims to halt these anticompetitive practices by demanding that Deere provide access to its Service ADVISOR repair tool and other resources used by authorized dealers to both owners of large tractors and combines as well as independent repair providers.

In addition to Wisconsin and the FTC, Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota are also part of this legal action against Deere & Company.