After years of complaints about “unlawful” repairability policies, the FTC is suing tractor manufacturer Deere & Company. Repairability advocates are calling it a milestone for consumer rights.

Minnesota farmers who've long pushed for the right to independently repair their own agricultural equipment are celebrating a lawsuit filed against John Deere, in which the company is accused of instituting illegal repair policies that drive up costs for farmers.

John Deere’s “unfair” practices raised repair costs for farmers and kept them from being able to make repairs on tractors and other equipment they own, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleges in a new lawsuit.