Across the farm belt, the cost of keeping modern machinery running has become a flashpoint, as growers push for the legal right to fix their own tractors instead of relying on expensive, tightly ...

Tractor maker John Deere faces a federal lawsuit that accuses the company of illegally forcing farmers to use only authorized dealers for critical repairs, boosting its multibillion-dollar profits.

Here’s why farmers could still find themselves locked into expensive repair networks.