“The investigation has been ongoing since 2021, and we know more about it now thanks to a court filing made public on Thursday.”
The FTC probe surfaced only because a data firm working for Deere’s trade group tried to quash a demand for sales data. Last year Deere promised farmers repair tools on the condition that states pass no right-to-repair laws. Senator Elizabeth Warren’s October 2 letter says Deere delivered “impaired tools and inadequate disclosures.” Deere got the legislative truce and farmers got tools that don’t work.