U.S. farmers secure $99 million settlement fund in right-to-repair court battle against John Deere

Deere agreed to supply U.S. farmers with the tools required to
 make their own repairs. (Photo by R. Fath, Unsplash)

U.S. farmers fighting for the right to repair their own tractors secured a class-action suit victory against John Deere. Reuters reports, "U.S. agriculture equipment maker Deere agreed to pay $99 million into a settlement fund for ‌farms and farmers that are part of a class action over costs and access to repairs."

Since 2017, Deere has put up a bulwark of defenses to prevent sharing repair access and knowledge with U.S. farmers who wanted to fix their tractors themselves rather than wait for a Deere-authorized repair tech to make it to their farm. Reuters reports, "The settlement fund covers eligible plaintiffs who paid Deere’s authorized ​dealers for repairs to large agricultural equipment from January 2018."

The right-to-repair suits from farmers are only part of a bigger tug-of-war between companies that produce technology-based products, such as cell phones and computers, and American consumers. Reuters reports, "Regulators and plaintiffs argue that some ​manufacturers limit competition by controlling access to repair tools and ⁠software."

Within Deere's settlement, the company gave a 10-year commitment to supplying "farmers with the 'tools ​required for the maintenance, diagnosis, and repair' of large agricultural equipment, ​including tractors, combines, and sugarcane harvesters," Reuters reports.

Although this week's settlement ends some of Deere's litigation headaches, the company still faces "a separate lawsuit brought by the Federal ​Trade Commission," Reuters reports. "A ​U.S. judge ruled ⁠in 2025 that Deere must face that lawsuit, which accused the company of forcing farmers to ​use its authorized dealer network and driving up their ​costs for ⁠parts and repairs."

Farmers' share of consumer food spending dollar shrinks to 5.8 cents

Despite planting, growing and harvesting most foundational food in the United States, American farmers only glean a tiny amount of consumer food spending, reports Faith Parum of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Department of Agriculture data from 2024 estimates show that "farmers and ranchers received a combined 5.8 cents of every food dollar, down slightly from 5.9 cents in 2023."

The 5.8 cents in profits are divided by sectors. Parum explains, "Crop producers saw their share decline from 2.9 to 2.5 cents, while livestock producers experienced a modest increase from 3 to 3.3 cents." But overall, the trends show that farmers' share of consumer food dollars has decreased over time. In contrast, the largest share of each consumer dollar is spent on food processing and food service.

The shrinking income underscores why increases in agricultural input costs, such as higher fuel or fertilizer prices, can quickly erode farm income and strain farmers already burdened by low commodity prices.

When it comes to food-at-home purchases, farmer and rancher profits gained a "0.5% increase year over year," Parum explains. "In 2024, the farm share of the food-at-home dollar was 18.5 cents, up slightly from 18.4 cents in 2023."

Products that require little processing produce bigger profit margins. Parum reports, "Fresh eggs returned 69.1 cents per dollar to farmers in 2024, up from 65.2 cents in 2023. Beef rose from 49.8 cents to 52.2 cents, and fresh milk increased from 48.1 cents to 50.8 cents."

The overall picture of farming income spotlights the realities of modern food production and distribution, where "most of the economic value is created after products leave the farm," Parum writes.

'No Kings' protests in rural Minnesota highlight changes in some residents' opinions

Faribault residents Matthew, left, and Sarah said they wanted to protest
local ICE activity. (Photo by Betsy Froiland,The Daily Yonder) 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, cost of living increases and the U.S. war in Iran have moved some rural Minnesotans to speak out for change. "Minnesotans in small towns across the state joined the third wave of nationwide ‘No Kings’ protests Saturday, March 28," reports Betsy Froiland of The Daily Yonder.

Although some rural residents protested the Trump administration's immigration policies in October, many didn't feel called to action until ICE conducted aggressive raids and searches in smaller Minnesota towns, such as Faribault, Windom and St. James in early 2026.

Protesters from all three towns "reported escalated ICE activity in their communities in recent months," Froiland explains. "Many told stories of neighbors arrested, local businesses shuttered, and fear spreading in their schools and workplaces."

While the number of protesters who lined the streets of their respective towns was small, their growing numbers and repeated presence mark a change in areas that voted for President Donald Trump in 2024.  

"Some protesters wondered what happened to due process, like Travis McColley, a lifelong Republican who joined the protest in Faribault," Froiland reports. McColley told the Yonder, “People who have been in the community for years who are going through an asylum process are getting grabbed."

Beyond ICE activities, rural Minnesotans also protested against the war in Iran, cost of living increases and overall frustration with Washington. Froiland writes, "Faribault protester Norm Kokes, a ‘No Kings’ protester and a U.S. military veteran, worried about how the war would impact the world economy."

A St. James protester told Froiland, “I’m dissatisfied that billionaires are trying to run our country, and they’re not going to do anything for the common people."

In some places, protesters were met by counter-protesters driving by or standing across the street. Froiland adds, [Some] "revved their engines and gave middle fingers." Despite the difference in opinions, the protests remained non-violent.

Why the closed Strait of Hormuz will increase grocery prices and add to world hunger

Goods and fuel normally flow out of the Persian Gulf and through the Strait of Hormuz. (Wikimedia map)

As the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran continues through the spring planting season, Americans and the world at large are likely to see food costs increase as farmers who would normally be fertilizing their soils for corn seed may change their planting choices, writes Aya S. Chacar, an expert on how institutions affect businesses and supply chains, for The Conversation.

Part of the increased expenses will come from fertilizer costs or from reduced crop productivity due to reduced fertilizer supplies during planting season. "Three staple crops – corn, wheat and rice – supply more than half of the world’s dietary calories. To maximize production, those crops need three main nutrients: nitrogen, phosphate and potassium," Chacar explains. "The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has reduced the supply and increased the cost of all three."

Faced with soaring fertilizer prices, farmers will have to choose how much nitrogen-hungry seeds like corn to plant and when. "Reducing nitrogen application by 10% to 15% or delaying application by 2 to 4 weeks can reduce corn yields by 10% to 25," Chacar writes. Less food for people also changes what foods are available for livestock and its cost. Higher grain costs to feed cattle, for instance, will increase the price of beef. In the end, consumers will see prices increase.

While Americans have seen gas prices increase in real time as the war continues, more expensive food prices will take longer to emerge, but they will come all the same. Chacar adds, "In March 2026, the U.S. Department of Agriculture used data from before the Iran war to project a 3.1% average increase for all food prices."

Beyond fuel costs, corn prices are likely to be a primary driver of grocery price increases. "Corn tortillas and other relatively lightly processed corn foods are more likely to show price responses within a few months after corn prices increase," according to Chacar. Cereal and meat price increases will take a bit longer to reach consumer pocketbooks.

Should the Strait of Hormuz remain closed, the resulting fertilizer shortage will be a global problem, as it will affect American crop choices and yields. Chacar writes, "More than 300 million people worldwide already do not have enough food. The U.N. World Food Program predicts an additional 45 million could join them by the end of 2026 if the conflict in the Middle East continues into the middle of the year."

U.S. farmers battle bugs in the field, but once grains are stored, pests remain a challenge

Bugs normally eat at least 30% of a stored crop.
(Graphic by Adam Dixon, Offrange)

Storing commodities like corn or soybeans in grain bins or in shipment packing on land or at sea doesn't mean food is safe from hungry bugs. Jonathan Feakins reports for Offrange, "From bins to packaging, the amount of lost product brought about by entomological pests alone could easily rival better-known, higher-profile losses that occur in both the field or in dumpsters.

Most people know that pests like to eat crops, but they don't realize how much bugs can eat after a crop is harvested. Hannah Quellhorst, an expert in stored product entomology at Kansas State, told Feakins, "After harvest, we always lose a minimum of 30%. It can be as high as 80%, especially in regions where maybe there’s less access to inputs or secure storage."

Beetles, specifically weevil and borer larvae and adults, are among the most worrisome insects for stored grains and rice.

Researchers, including Quellhorst, have been studying the Khapra beetle, which isn't native to the U.S., but has hitchhiked into the country. "One of the top hundred most dangerous invasive species in the world, Khapra beetle larvae can be voracious, devouring their way through stored grains while leaving behind an unholy mess of skins and waste," Feekins explains.

Prostephanus truncatus, the
larger grain borer (Wikipedia photo)

The larger borer, native to the U.S., has incredible eating power that can mow through stored crops before a farmer even knows they are there. Quellhorst told Feakins, "It can chew through metal. It can chew through plastic. I have pictures of it chewing through a plastic petri dish so it can escape."

Jacob Landis, a regenerative farmer outside of Sterling, Illinois, who often battles with grain weevils, uses the colder temperatures common to the Midwest to "kill or arrest the life cycle of insects," Feakins reports.

Reducing food waste is part of the push for stored-product entomology. Landis told Offrange, “I push back on the fallacy that we need to raise bumper crops to be able to feed the world. There is just a lot of waste in the system. If we would manage our waste, it wouldn’t be as much of a concern.”