The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched a joint public inquiry on Oct. 7, 2026, regarding issues affecting ag equipment manufacturing and distribution markets, including potential anticompetitive conduct.
The joint request for information is a part of what the FTC says is ongoing work to preserve competition in the agricultural sector. This work includes the commission’s recent settlement, joined by 12 states, enjoining Corteva Inc.'s alleged anticompetitive conduct in pesticides markets. It also includes the FTC’s settlement, joined by 5 states, of an antitrust action challenging repair restrictions imposed by farm equipment manufacturer Deere & Company.
According to the FTC news release, the joint RFI seeks to address the growing number of complaints received by USDA that farmers across the country face other barriers to acquiring ag equipment and the services required to keep equipment operating.
The request for comments specifically asks for responses to questions that relate to “Dealer Network Structure, Consolidation and Conduct.” A number of those questions are related to sales territories.
As of Oct. 14, only 5 comments had been submitted, 3 of which are anonymous and 1 from someone who identifies themself as a dealer.
The dealer said they have 3 stores in the Midwest, and sell 74% of their parts to customers directly over the country for them to do their own repair work. Just 26% of customer parts sales are installed in the dealership’s service department by its technicians. They also noted that they stock $6.5 million in parts for their customers, which equates to over $450,000 in interest for carrying costs each year.
Comments can be submitted at Regulations.gov and must be received by Dec. 7, by 11:59 p.m. The information will be used by the FTC and USDA to inform enforcement and regulatory priorities and future actions.
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