2025 proved to be a watershed moment for agriculture, marked by a decisive shift away from corporate consolidation and toward the protection of individual farmers. From the right-to-repair movement to settlements in the meatpacking industry, the legal landscape appeared to favor market competition and producer autonomy.
A central pillar of this shift occurred in June 2025, when a federal judge ordered John Deere to face a major antitrust lawsuit brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).[1] The court’s rejection of Deere’s motion to dismiss signals a critical turning point; it challenges the company’s exclusive control over diagnostic software, which critics argue created an illegal monopoly on repairs.
Building on this judicial momentum, the FARM Act[2] was introduced in late 2025. This federal legislation aims to codify a farmer’s right to bypass authorized dealerships in favor of independent mechanics. With a “repair gap” estimated to cost farmers more than $3 billion annually, this act seeks to restore equipment ownership from a restricted license to a full property right.
In 2025, federal courts also address long-standing allegations of price and wage manipulation in the meatpacking industry. In August, JBS received final approval for an $83.5 million settlement regarding allegations that the “Big Four” packers conspired to suppress cattle prices by artificially limiting supply. By November, a global settlement totaling nearly $400 million was finalized against major processors like Tyson and Perdue. This case focused on “wage-fixing” schemes facilitated by Agri Stats, a data-sharing firm that, in October, agreed to cease sharing sensitive plant-level wage data.
There was also significant litigation in the broiler industry concerning a conspiracy to fix prices by “bid rigging.” [3]
The year concluded with a dramatic escalation in December, when a new Executive Order established task forces within the DOJ and FTC. These teams are specifically tasked with investigating “foreign-controlled” food supply chains, targeting both meat-processing and agricultural-equipment sectors.
Source Cases:
[1] FTC v. Deere & Co., No. 25-CV50017 (N.D. Ill. Jun. 9, 2025).
[2] Freedom From Agricultural Repair and Maintenance Act, H.R. 5857 and S. 3549, introduced Oct. 28, 2025.
[3] In re Broiler Chicken Grower Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 3167, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 260867 (Jud. Panel on MDL Dec. 16 (2025).
