The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has accusing it of “unfair” practices that force farmers to pay higher-than-usual repair costs. The federal organization, along with the attorneys general for Illinois and Minnesota, said the company engaged in practices that prevented farmers from being able to repair the equipment they owned.

In other words, this is another salvo . The complaint alleges that John Deere engages in dubious practices, such as including software in farm equipment, to prevent people from trying to fix it themselves. Additionally, the suit points to “decades” of unlawful behavior that drove farmers to the company’s authorized dealer network for repairs.

“Restrictions on illegal cultivation can harm farmers, who rely on cheap and timely cultivation to harvest their crops and earn their income,” said FTC Chair Lina Khan in a press release. “The FTC’s action today seeks to ensure that farmers across America are free to repair their own equipment or use the repair shops of their choice.”

The suit goes on to allege that Deere has developed “full-featured software repair that can perform all repairs” on its equipment, which is only available to authorized dealers. These dealers allegedly charge higher prices than independent stores, giving the company unlawful monopoly power. Farmers have long maintained that they can perform basic equipment repairs, but computers can lock systems from working again until an officially licensed technician can perform their thing. This thing is, supposedly, a simple flip of a software switch.

The company . It even signed and with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) in 2023 that should make software, tools and documentation available to farmers and independent repair shops. This does not appear to have actually occurred, as the suit states that it “continues to unlawfully withhold a fully functional repair tool from equipment owners.”

The lawsuit seeks to “stop Deere’s anticompetitive behavior” by ordering access to the software repair tool, in addition to “other repair resources available to authorized dealers.” Nathan Proctor, PIRG’s Right to Repair Campaign Director, that “We will not allow the companies that block the repair. When you buy something, you should be able to do whatever you want with it. “