PolicyExplainer
FTC and USDA open joint inquiry into farm equipment makers and dealers
The FTC and USDA opened a joint public inquiry on October 7, 2026, into farm equipment makers and dealers. Comments are due December 7, 2026.
On October 7, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture opened a joint public inquiry into how agricultural equipment is manufactured and distributed. The FTC announced the request in a press release dated that day, describing it as part of its work to preserve competition in the agricultural sector.
The inquiry is a request for information, not a proposed rule or an enforcement action. Comments are due December 7, 2026, at 11:59 p.m., with no time zone stated, through Regulations.gov. The release says the responses will inform FTC and USDA enforcement and regulatory priorities and future actions.
What the Inquiry Asks For
The release invites comment from farmers, independent repair providers, current and former employees of equipment manufacturers and dealers, and the general public.
It asks about business models, policies, agreements and contract terms. It also asks for firsthand experiences or documented cases of restrictions, penalties or retaliation, and for effects on pricing, market entry, innovation, farmer welfare and rural economic resilience.
The release says USDA has received a growing number of complaints that farmers face barriers to acquiring equipment and the services needed to keep it running. It does not state how many complaints USDA has received.
The Deere Repair Case, From Complaint to Order
The FTC's case against Deere began with a complaint dated January 15, 2025, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Illinois and Minnesota joined through their attorneys general. The complaint alleges that Deere's repair restrictions steer farmers and independent repair providers toward authorized dealers.
According to the 2025 release, Deere makes the fully functional repair tool, Service ADVISOR, available only to authorized dealers. The alternative, Customer Service ADVISOR, cannot perform all repairs. The complaint also alleges that Deere allegedly holds a 100% market share for repairs that require the full tool. The 2025 release gives no repair cost or fee figures. It sought a permanent injunction and access to Service ADVISOR resources for owners of large Deere tractors and combines and for independent repair providers.
The proposed ten-year order announced July 8, 2026, requires Deere to give farmers and independent repair providers, on fair and reasonable terms, the same repair resources it gives authorized dealers. These include reading and clearing fault codes, reprogramming and pairing electronic components, restarting machines after emissions-related shutdowns, and accessing technical manuals. The release states no dollar amount.
The Commission voted 2-0 to issue the proposed order, which becomes enforceable once the district court judge approves and signs it. The July 2026 release lists five states as co-plaintiffs: Illinois, Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Daniel Guarnera, director of the FTC's Bureau of Competition, said the settlement "will help lower costs for American farmers."
Corteva's Loyalty Program Settlement in September
On September 28, 2026, the FTC announced a settlement with Corteva in a case captioned FTC v. Syngenta and Corteva, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. Twelve states joined as co-plaintiffs. The settlement resolves claims against Corteva only.
The case began with a September 29, 2022 lawsuit by the FTC and 10 state attorneys general. As the 2022 release describes it, the defendants ran loyalty programs that paid distributors only if they kept purchases of competing generic pesticides below a low threshold. The FTC said these payments blocked cheaper generics and kept prices high after patents expired. The 2022 release names three Corteva active ingredients: rimsulfuron, oxamyl and acetochlor. It gives no price or market-share figures.
The ten-year order bars loyalty programs that condition payments to distributors on buying more than 50% of their requirements of a pesticide active ingredient from Corteva. It also bars share-based programs that limit purchases of generic products to under 50%, and volume-based programs that recreate them. The order covers all of Corteva's post-patent active ingredients, not only the three named in the complaint.
Corteva will pay the state plaintiffs $35,000,000 to resolve their monetary claims, according to the release. The Commission voted 2-0. The FTC's July and September releases on Deere and Corteva are both listed as related actions in the October 7 farm equipment release.
What Remains Open
As of October 9, 2026, the FTC release gives December 7, 2026 as the comment deadline. The release does not say when the agencies will publish findings or propose any action.
The Deere order depends on court approval before it is enforceable. The release does not say what the agencies expect to learn from the comments or when they will act on them.
Neither the 2025 Deere release nor the 2022 Corteva release gives repair cost or price figures, so the public record in these sources does not quantify the effect of the practices they describe.
