FTC and USDA ask for public comment on dealer territories, consolidation and retaliation in farm equipment

The Federal Trade Commission and the US Department of Agriculture said on October 7, 2026, that they have opened a joint public inquiry into agricultural equipment manufacturing and distribution. It is a request for information. The agencies invited farmers, repair shops, and current and former manufacturer and dealer employees to respond. The FTC said USDA has received a growing number of complaints about barriers to buying and servicing equipment.

The request has 12 numbered questions and defines “retaliation.” Several concern dealers directly: whether manufacturers impose territorial sales or service restrictions on dealers, whether dealers agree among themselves on territory limits for customers, what pricing or penalty mechanisms apply when a customer buys outside a territory, and whether dealer locations have closed or ownership has concentrated, and with what effect on prices and parts. Others cover coordination among manufacturers or dealers, and retaliation against dealers and their employees.

Comments are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on December 7, 2026, through Regulations.gov under docket FTC-2026-1585. The FTC said it will use the responses to inform enforcement and regulatory priorities.

DTN said it asked John Deere for comment (the request document carries no date, so its October 7 date comes from the press release); its report does not say whether Deere replied, and it quotes no dealers, manufacturers or trade groups.