Attorney General Kwame Raoul, alongside the Federal Trade Commission and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, has initiated legal action against Deere and Company. The lawsuit claims that Deere's practices have inflated repair costs for farmers and restricted their ability to perform timely repairs on essential farming equipment.
Raoul stated, "With the price of farming equipment continuing to rise, farmers should have increased flexibility to repair and maintain their equipment and not be forced to utilize expensive authorized dealers." He emphasized his commitment to advocating for marketplace competition and protecting Illinois consumers' rights.
The lawsuit accuses Deere of limiting farmers' access to independent repair services, thereby compelling them to use Deere's authorized dealers. This practice allegedly enhances Deere's profits from agricultural equipment and parts while increasing repair expenses for farmers.
Agricultural equipment that is durable, reliable, and easily repairable is vital for American farmers. However, due to Deere's dominant market position in large agricultural equipment, it has become challenging for farmers to seek repairs outside Deere's network. The coalition seeks a court order requiring Deere to provide owners of its large tractors and combines—and independent repair providers—access to its Service ADVISOR tool and other resources available only to authorized dealers.
Traditionally, farmers repaired their own machinery or relied on local independent providers who offered cost-effective and reliable services. However, with the advancement in computerization of Deere’s products over recent decades, access to the Service ADVISOR software tool has been restricted exclusively to authorized dealers.
Despite growing public demand for the right-to-repair movement—including legislative efforts—Deere reportedly continues withholding comprehensive repair tools from equipment owners. These restrictions allegedly prevent farmers from using their preferred service providers or performing self-repairs efficiently.
In March 2023, Raoul led a bipartisan group of 27 attorneys general urging Congress to enact Right-to-Repair legislation applicable across various sectors including agriculture equipment.
Bureau Chief Elizabeth Maxeiner and Assistant Attorney General Brian Yost are managing this case within Raoul’s Antitrust Bureau.