The lawsuit comes after years of the equipment manufacturer locking farmers out of making basic repairs to their equipment.

The Federal Trade Commission sued Deere, alleging the tractor maker limits farmers’ ability to repair their own equipment, giving Deere an illegal monopoly on repair services. The FTC’s lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Chicago federal court,

Illegal repair restrictions can be devastating for farmers, who rely on affordable and timely repairs to harvest their crops and earn their income,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday sued farm equipment maker Deere , alleging it illegally drives up repair costs by forcing farmers to rely on its authorized dealer network.

John Deere's controversial practice that requires farmers to use its dealer network for repairs draws a lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission