The suit alleges that Deere tried to increase the cost of repairing its equipment while also forcing customers to rely on Deere-approved dealers to make the repairs.

The lawsuit comes after years of the equipment manufacturer locking farmers out of making basic repairs to their equipment.

The Federal Trade Commission and the Illinois and Minnesota Attorneys General announced a lawsuit against agricultural equipment manufacturer John Deere over its practices that have allegedly increased equipment repair costs for farmers and deprived them of the ability to make timely repairs on critical farming equipment.