Do we like them?

Do we like John Deere?

Makes tractors, combines and other farm and construction machinery, plus precision-ag tech; based in Moline, Illinois, US.

Our score: 4 out of 10. A big, long-established maker that farmers rely on. But its fight over who can repair its machines and its layoffs mean we'd only back it with reservations.

Deere is the green-and-yellow tractor giant from Moline, Illinois. Farmers depend on its machines, and the company is run by CEO John May.

In January 2025 the FTC and the attorneys general of Illinois and Minnesota sued Deere. They alleged its repair restrictions pushed up costs and kept farmers and independent technicians from fixing their own equipment. Deere called the suit baseless and said it would fight.

In June 2025 a federal judge refused to throw the case out. One report says Deere settled in July 2026 with the FTC and five states, giving farmers and independent shops access to repair tools for 10 years. We found only that one source for the settlement.

In 2024 Deere told about 610 production staff at Illinois and Iowa plants they would lose their jobs. It said this was down to reduced demand and not moving production to Mexico.

We'd give it a middling score. The repair settlement is a step in the right direction, but it came only after a lawsuit the company had called baseless and fought for over a year.