Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced a lawsuit against equipment manufacturer John Deere on Wednesday.
"I'm suing Deere end their illegal repair monopoly and help MN farmers afford their lives," Ellison wrote on X (Twitter).
The complaint alleges that, for decades, Deere’s practices have stopped farmers and independent providers from repairing their own Deere equipment, forcing farmers to instead rely solely on Deere's providers.
Ellison says under the current system, Minnesota farmers often take on added extra costs and experience delay's in harvesting and growing procedures while they wait for repairs from "authorized mechanics." They suit alleges John Deere has boosted profits and grown its repair parts business while burdening farmers with higher repair costs.
"Minnesota farmers proudly feed and supply people across the world, and our farmers deserve better than what they’re getting from Deere,” said Attorney General Ellison. “Deere has made it virtually impossible for farmers themselves or independent repair shops to fully repair Deere equipment, which forces farmers to rely on authorized Deere dealers, which can be more expensive, slower, and for some a long distance away from farms."
The Attorney General's Office goes on to say John Deere maintains a dominant market share position across the large agricultural equipment market making it almost impossible for farmers to get work done. The suit also says John Deere produces what is the only "fully functional software repair tool" capable of performing all repairs on equipment.
Among other remedies, Attorney General Ellison asks the court to order that Deere make its repair tool available to independent repair providers and owners of Deere large tractors and combines, along with any other repair resources that are available to authorized dealers.
The AG is encouraging Minnesota farmers, consumers and businesses who wish to report concerns about antitrust issues to submit a report online via the office's Antitrust Report Form.