The Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture opened a joint inquiry into agricultural equipment manufacturing and distribution on October 7, asking farmers and repair shops to put restrictions, penalties or retaliation on the record. The request carries docket number FTC-2026-1585 and says a comment must be received "on or before Monday, December 7, 2026 by 11:59pm ET."
Who is invited, and what it asks
The request invites the public to comment, naming three groups in particular: farmers, independent repair providers, and current and former employees of agricultural equipment manufacturers and dealers. Respondents are encouraged to describe relevant business models, policies, agreements or contractual terms; provide supporting examples or data; share firsthand experiences or documented cases of restrictions, penalties or retaliation; and discuss how these practices may affect pricing, market entry, innovation, farmer welfare or rural economic resilience.
It poses 13 numbered questions under two headings. Ten, under "Dealer Network Structure, Consolidation, and Conduct," ask whether manufacturers or dealers impose territorial sales or service restrictions, how a customer's territory is tracked, what pricing or penalty mechanisms apply to out-of-territory purchases, whether dealer networks have recently consolidated, and whether repair services or parts are tied to buying from a specific dealer. Three follow under "Retaliation": two ask whether farmers, independent repair providers, dealers or dealer employees have faced threatened or actual retaliation — for opposing manufacturer or dealer policies "or for any other reasons" — and the thirteenth is not a question but a definition. Retaliation, it says, "includes individuals or businesses being blacklisted, denied equipment or parts, deprioritized, given worse commercial terms, or otherwise penalized or discriminated against."
How to file
Comments are submitted online through Regulations.gov. The agencies warn against putting Social Security numbers, dates of birth, license or account numbers or other sensitive information in a public filing. A confidential comment goes instead to ElectronicFilings@ftc.gov with a request under FTC Rule 4.9(c). The FTC's Office of General Counsel reviews those requests: a grant in full keeps the comment off Regulations.gov; a denial gives the submitter ten business days to ask that it be withdrawn, in which case it is not posted.
The settlements the FTC points to
The announcement cites two prior FTC actions. It says a recent settlement, joined by twelve states, addressed Corteva Inc.'s "alleged anticompetitive conduct in pesticides markets." An earlier settlement, joined by five states, resolved an antitrust action over repair restrictions imposed by Deere & Company and, it says, "ensures that farmers can enjoy the right to repair their own John Deere tractors and farm equipment." The press release presents this request as part of the same "ongoing work to preserve competition in the agricultural sector."
What it does not say
The request names no manufacturer or dealer as a subject, and gives no count of how many farmers or shops have reported such practices. The agencies say the information will "inform enforcement and regulatory priorities and future actions" but commit to no specific next step.