USDA, FTC Probe Ag Equipment Sector

LINCOLN, Neb. (DTN) -- USDA and the Federal Trade Commission are asking for the public's help in an investigation into the agriculture equipment sector, as the agencies announced on Wednesday a request for information.

They are asking farmers, independent repair shops as well as current and former employees of equipment companies, to help identify potential anticompetitive conduct by agriculture equipment manufacturers, according to a news release.

The federal agencies said they want to address the "growing number of complaints" received by USDA that "farmers across the country face other barriers" to acquiring equipment, the FTC and USDA said on Wednesday.

The request for information is part of what the agencies describe as their attempt to preserve competition in agriculture.

The agencies said they specifically want to know whether ag equipment manufacturers and dealers are restricting competition and, if so, how that might be affecting farmers, independent repair shops and rural economies.

In recent months, FTC and five states settled with John Deere in a right-to-repair lawsuit launched during the Biden administration.

In a post on X Wednesday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins commented on the announcement: "Everyday I hear from farmers and far too often they bring up the restrictions they face in being able to repair their own equipment. Added costs and lost labor time are the result of these misguided restrictions for our farmers and ranchers. This harvest season we are asking you to make your voices heard. I am proud to join the FTC and Andrew Ferguson (FTC chairman) in hearing more from you."

Ferguson also posted a comment on X: "America's farmers have a hard enough job as it is. They shouldn't have to overcome artificial service barriers to keep their farm machinery running or pay inflated prices for critical equipment. And they shouldn't suffer retaliation for fixing their own equipment, or shopping around for better prices."

DTN reached out to John Deere seeking comment.

The agencies are investigating dealer networks, territories and competition, as part of their inquiry.

The news release said they are seeking information on sales territories assigned to dealers, restrictions on farmers buying equipment from dealers outside their territories, restrictions on obtaining service from dealers outside a territory, whether dealers coordinate with each other on territory, pricing or customer access, along with other information.

"These barriers increase the cost of production and thereby disincentivize the production of food domestically while driving up food prices for consumers," the agencies said this week.

They are asking commenters to share "firsthand experiences or documented cases" of restrictions, penalties and retaliation, and to "discuss the broader competitive implications -- how these practices may impact pricing, market entry, innovation, farmer welfare, or rural economic resilience."

According to the news release, USDA said it is "similarly focused" on addressing the "dramatic escalation of input costs" that has been ongoing in agriculture for years.

In July 2026, the FTC along with attorneys general in Illinois, Arizona, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin reached a settlement with John Deere. Read about that settlement here: https://www.dtnpf.com/….

The agencies have opened a public comment period through Dec. 7, 2026, according to the news release, at https://www.regulations.gov/….

In addition, the FTC and USDA also opened the door to receive confidential comments from the public. Those comments should be sent to ElectronicFilings@ftc.gov, to the attention of the office of the secretary, requesting confidential treatment, according to the request.

Read more on DTN:

"Corteva to End Crop Loyalty Program," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

"FTC Investigating Fertilizer Market," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

Todd Neeley can be reached at todd.neeley@dtn.com

Follow him on social platform X @DTNeeley

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