Deere’s FTC Settlement Not a ‘Decisive Loss’

On July 8, 2026, just one week after the news of the opposition to the $99 million class action settlement against John Deere, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced Deere & Co. has agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by the FTC and U.S. states for alleged violations of requiring farmers to use Deere’s authorized dealers for repairs instead of independent service providers or self-repair. Eric Hodson reports that a July 6, post on the UAW 450 Members Facebook page provided additional details as shared to their members. 

The FTC’s stipulated order requires Deere — for the next 10 years under the supervision of the FTC and plaintiff states — to provide farmers and independent repair providers with the same equipment repair resources, including applicable software capabilities, that it currently provides to authorized Deere dealers.

According to retired dealer association executive John Schmeiser,