Right-to-repair pact has worrisome tradeoff, says consumer group
Federal and state lawmakers "should move full steam ahead with their right-to-repair bills" this year, said consumer group PIRG, which took a skeptical view of a memorandum of understanding between Deere and Co. and the largest U.S. farm group on equipment repair. In the agreement, the American Farm Bureau Federation says it will urge state affiliates to stay on the sidelines of the right-to-repair debate.
‘Right-to-repair’ bills languish as time for congressional action dwindles
So-called right-to-repair laws won’t help consumers but could damage the retailers and manufacturer-authorized repair shops now in business, said a string of Republican lawmakers at a House hearing on Wednesday, while a consumer advocate warned that “repair monopolization” was pervasive in sectors including personal computing, TVs, and agriculture.
Deere to market fully autonomous tractor for farm tillage
The world's largest farm equipment maker, Deere and Co., said on Tuesday it will begin sales later this year of a "fully autonomous tractor that's ready for large-scale production," but limited for the moment to tillage. "The machine combines Deere's 8R tractor, TruSet-enabled chisel plow, GPS guidance system, and new advanced technologies," said Deere, which unveiled the autonomous tractor at a consumer technology show in Las Vegas.
Farm groups ask FTC for right to repair Deere equipment
The world’s largest farm equipment maker, Deere and Co., unlawfully forces farmers to pay a Deere dealer when their tractors or other equipment break down, said farm groups in a “right to repair” complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission on Thursday. The FTC said last year that it would ramp up its law enforcement against repair restrictions that prevent small businesses, workers, and consumers from fixing their own products.
Strike continues as Deere workers consider new offer
Deere and the United Auto Workers agreed over the weekend on a proposed six-year contract covering 10,000 union workers at the world's largest farm equipment manufacturer. The UAW said its members would remain on strike during consideration of the agreement.
Monsanto to sell planter business to AGCO
Monsanto, the world’s largest seed and ag chemical company, said it has agreed to sell its seed-planter business to farm-equipment maker AGCO. A 2015 deal to sell its Precision Planting unit to Deere and Co. fell apart in the face of an antitrust suit filed by the Justice Department.
Monsanto nixes sale of high-speed planter unit to Deere
The world's largest seed company, Monsanto, said it terminated its November 2015 deal to sell Precision Planting to Deere and Co., the world's largest farm-equipment maker, and was looking for another purchaser. The Justice Department filed an antitrust suit against the sale to Deere, saying it would dominate the market for high-speed planters, which are expected to become the industry standard.
Kinze tries to stay out of antitrust case over high-speed planters
When the Justice Department filed suit to block Deere & Company, the largest farm equipment maker in the world, from buying Precision Planting, owned by seed giant Monsanto, it said it was trying to preserve competition in sales of high-speed planters. One of Deere's competitors, Kinze Manufacturing, claims Deere may be using the lawsuit to seek access to Kinze's trade secrets.
Justice Department asks farmers about high-speed planters
The Justice Department, which filed an anti-trust suit to prevent Deere & Co. from buying Precision Planting, recently telephoned farmers in the Midwest to ask about the market dynamics for high-speed planters, says DTN.
Deere says planter deal won’t reduce competition
In response to a Justice Department lawsuit, Deere and Co., the world's largest farm equipment maker, says its purchase of a competitor, Precision Planting, will expand farmers' ability to update their planters and will not reduce competition for planter sales.
U.S. panel examines ag consolidation, as Bayer-Monsanto eye merger
Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Charles Grassley set a Sept. 20 hearing to examine consolidation in the seed and agricultural chemical sector at the same time that another blockbuster merger seemed imminent. "If these mergers go through, you'd have a 'big three' instead of a 'big six' dominating the market," Grassley told reporters.
U.S. antitrust lawsuit wants to stop Deere purchase of Precision Planting
The Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit in federal court in Chicago to block Deere and Co., the world's largest farm equipment maker, from buying Precision Planting, its chief competitor in selling high-speed seed planters to farmers. The government says the two companies account for at least 86 percent of sales of the planters, which are expected to become the industry standard.
Deere buys two makers of “precision” planters
The world's largest farm-equipment manufacturer is buying two companies that make so-called precision planters, which are vital tools in the integration of Big Data into agriculture. Deere and Co announced a deal to buy Precision Planting from Monsanto a day after it said it would acquire Monosem, a European maker of precision planting equipment.
“The future reached the farm first” in driver-less technology
Agriculture is far ahead of the rest of the country in development and use of driver-less technology, says the Washington Post.
Smaller tractors make big waves in equipment sales
Livestock producers are buying a lot of tractors these days, the result of high cattle and hog prices, while sales falter for the big tractors and self-propelled combines used by grain farmers, says AgWeb.
Johanns joins Deere board, Nelson become Illinois ag director
Mike Johanns, who completed a term as senator early this month, was elected to the board of directors of Deere and Co, the world's largest farm equipment manufacturer.
Deere sells crop insurance unit to Farmers Mutual Hail
Deere and Co, the world's largest equipment maker, said it reached definitive agreement to sell its crop insurance unit to Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Co., of West Des Moines, Iowa.
Deere sees 10 percent drop in US, Canada equipment sales
The world's largest farm equipment maker, Deere and Co, says, "Equipment net sales in the United States and Canada decreased 10 percent for the quarter and 8 percent for the year" in a report on this year's business.