The Farm Freedom to Repair Act would ensure farmers have the right to repair the digital agricultural equipment they own, helping reduce costly delays and dependence on manufacturers for basic repairs.
Ensure farmers can repair the digital agricultural equipment they own without manufacturer restrictions.
Occurrences
Evidence
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A May 15, 2026 WSJ report said a new lawsuit against Deere alleged the company still restricts access to diagnostic and repair software, with the complaint saying Deere dealers had exclusive access to the tools needed for repairs and that independent repair competition was being blocked.
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The White House fact sheet said the order would make it easier and cheaper to repair owned items by limiting manufacturers from barring self-repairs or third-party repairs. In agriculture, it said equipment makers use proprietary tools, software, and diagnostics to block third-party repairs, and that the order encouraged the FTC to limit tractor companies from blocking farmers' own repairs.
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The FTC reported that many repairs require specialized tools, hard-to-obtain parts, and proprietary diagnostic software, leaving consumers with limited choices. It also identified software locks, unavailable parts, manuals, and diagnostic tools as repair restrictions, and said the Commission stood ready to work with legislators on access to replacement parts, instructions, and diagnostic software.
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AP reported that John Deere and the American Farm Bureau Federation signed a memorandum of understanding intended to ensure farmers and ranchers have the right to repair their own farm equipment, including access to many tools and software needed to keep equipment running.
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Colorado's enacted bill requires agricultural equipment manufacturers, starting January 1, 2024, to provide owners and independent repair providers parts, embedded software, firmware, tools, documentation, manuals, diagrams, and similar resources for diagnosis, maintenance, or repair. The page says the act would be repealed if Congress enacted federal agricultural right-to-repair legislation.
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AP reported that the FTC sued Deere, alleging Deere unfairly forced farmers to visit authorized dealers by making repair software available only to dealers, making it impossible for owners to seek less-costly repairs. The FTC chair said farmers should be free to repair their own equipment or use repair shops of their choice.
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AP reported that Deere agreed to a $99 million proposed settlement in a 2022 class action alleging it withheld repair software and forced farmers to use authorized dealers. The settlement included injunctive relief aimed at improving repair resources and diagnostic checks, while Deere still faced separate FTC litigation.
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The Wall Street Journal reported that farmers remained skeptical after Deere's settlement, with the National Farmers Union saying the promised software was not as thorough as dealer tools and that advocates were counting on the FTC lawsuit for lasting changes.
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The Wall Street Journal reported that a new Deere lawsuit alleged the same core issue as the farm-equipment case: restricted access to software needed for diagnosis and repair, forcing equipment owners to use authorized dealers. Deere said it supports customers who want to do their own repairs.
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Rep. Spartz's official press-release page listed April 2026 farm-related actions on exempting large farm tractors, combines, and sprayers from EPA emissions standards and increasing commodity checkoff transparency; the page search showed no matching press release text for repair.
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Mrs. Spartz introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. Section 1201 of title 17, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: "Diagnosis, Maintenance, and Repair of Digital Electronic Agricultural Equipment."
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Case Status Pending. On July 8, 2026, the FTC, along with five states, secured an important settlement in an antitrust lawsuit against farm equipment manufacturer Deere & Company that will ensure farmers can enjoy the right to repair their own John Deere tractors and farm equipment.
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Last Action Date Listed March 5, 2026 Action Mrs. Spartz introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
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The Deere settlement strengthens the practical right to repair for many farmers by requiring Deere to provide both farmers and independent repair providers access to the tools and information needed to repair Deere equipment.
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Last Action Date Listed March 5, 2026 Action Mrs. Spartz introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
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The FTC’s settlement requires Deere—for the next 10 years and under the supervision of the FTC and plaintiff states—to provide farmers and independent repair providers with the same equipment repair resources, including applicable software capabilities, that it currently provides to authorized Deere dealers.
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"barriers to acquiring agricultural equipment and the service required to keep their equipment operating."
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"The Farm Freedom to Repair Act would ensure farmers have the right to repair the digital agricultural equipment they own"
Assessments
The verified commitment describes the Farm Freedom to Repair Act as a proposal that would ensure farmers can repair digital agricultural equipment they own. Verified evidence shows Spartz materially advanced the proposal by introducing H.R. 7850, which was referred to the House Judiciary Committee, but the verified record does not show enactment or achievement of the promised nationwide repair right. The verified FTC-Deere settlement shows some repair-access relief, but it is not supported as attributable to Spartz, so it cannot justify delivery or partial credit under the attribution rule.
The promised federal outcome has not been fully delivered: farmers still face alleged manufacturer software and diagnostic-tool restrictions, and federal litigation against Deere remained active in 2025-2026. There was meaningful partial progress through the 2021 federal competition executive order, FTC activity, Colorado's state law, private right-to-repair agreements, and Deere settlement activity, but these were not nationwide statutory repair rights and were not materially attributable to Rep. Spartz. The evidence also does not show a serious Spartz-led legislative or executive attempt on this promise, so no effort badge is warranted.
The promise is not fully delivered. Since Rep. Spartz took office on 2021-01-03, I found no clear evidence that she sponsored, passed, or materially advanced a federal measure that guaranteed farmers nationwide access to the software, diagnostics, and tools needed to repair digital agricultural equipment. Some real progress did happen during her time in office, but it came mainly from other actors: John Deere and the American Farm Bureau Federation announced a repair memorandum in January 2023 (AP: https://apnews.com/article/831b374a4f820dcde5ee2d647093e207), and Deere agreed in April 2026 to a $99 million settlement plus some repair-tool access commitments (AP: https://apnews.com/article/595d4b089689cd94418991326275b68d). But the underlying outcome remains incomplete, because the FTC sued Deere in January 2025 over continuing repair restrictions (AP: https://apnews.com/article/85c18d35a1e0999decb535aa5d7c358e), and the Wall Street Journal reported on 2026-05-15 that new litigation still alleged blocked access to diagnostic and repair software (https://www.wsj.com/business/right-to-repair-advocates-are-taking-on-deere-againthis-time-in-construction-a93aa654). Under the federal candidate-credit rule, that supports partial credit for outside progress, not full delivery by Spartz.