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“Farming equipment has gotten too expensive, and a lot of the reason is because they put these environmental excesses on the equipment, which don’t do a damn thing except make it complicated,” Trump told reporters.
His position resonated with farmers who have watched simple, reliable machines be replaced by rolling computers that shut down when a sensor fails.
But John Deere’s chief financial officer did not agree.
John Deere CFO Responds With Corporate Talking Points
John Deere CFO Josh Jepsen appeared on Fox Business and offered a response that many farmers saw as dismissive of their reality.
“There’s plenty of opportunity to continue to support our farmer customers and to make them more profitable and support them in many ways, whether that’s through technology that can help them save on their inputs or improve their yields, as well as some of the regulations that they face,” Jepsen told Fox Business host Liz Claman.
Rather than acknowledging that regulations themselves are inflating prices, Jepsen argued that more technology is the solution.
“The ability to help farmers do more with less is critical,” Jepsen added.
He highlighted Deere’s advanced systems, including AI driven weed detection and autonomous equipment, claiming they lower operating costs over time.
High Tech Solutions Ignore the Real Problem
For many farmers, that message misses the point entirely.
Modern tractors now cost anywhere from tens of thousands of dollars to well over a million dollars. These machines are packed with proprietary software, sensors, cameras, and emissions systems that farmers cannot repair themselves.
Jepsen even admitted why prices keep climbing.
“As we’ve had more emissions, there is more componentry, there’s more software, there are more pieces of hardware that need to be incorporated as we reduce emissions,” he explained.
In plain terms, the expensive systems Trump wants removed are not going anywhere.
Farmers Locked Out of Their Own Equipment
The problem goes far beyond sticker prices.
The Federal Trade Commission sued John Deere earlier this year, accusing the company of forcing farmers to rely exclusively on authorized dealers for repairs. Farmers say they lose billions each year waiting for dealer technicians while broken equipment sits idle during critical planting and harvest windows.
Missouri farmer Jared Wilson summed it up in blunt terms.
“When you have machines that are failing at those critical times of the year — when you have that one shot to get things right — it can severely impact your bottom line,” Wilson told NBC News.
Older tractors without emissions systems now command premium resale prices because farmers trust them more than modern machines.
More Technology Means More Control for Corporations
Instead of simplifying equipment, John Deere continues pushing subscriptions, retrofits, and software upgrades.
Farmers are often required to pay thousands just to access diagnostic tools that still do not allow full repairs. Service subscriptions generate enormous profits, with some dealers reporting service revenue far exceeding profits from equipment sales.
Environmental mandates like Tier 4 diesel emissions systems add tens of thousands of dollars to equipment prices. Farm groups say those systems are responsible for most modern breakdowns, and when they fail, tractors often shut down completely.
Trump’s Plan Targets the Root Cause
Trump’s EPA has already begun rolling back greenhouse gas standards. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has called the regulations “$1 trillion in regulations” based on “warped science.”
Farm leaders have repeatedly warned that emissions rules make equipment more fragile, harder to maintain, and dramatically more expensive.
Trump’s approach aims to restore simpler, tougher equipment that farmers can actually fix themselves.
Farmers Want Reliability, Not Corporate Spin
John Deere’s response makes one thing clear. The company has little interest in reducing complexity or loosening its grip on repairs.
Farmers do not want more cameras, more subscriptions, or more corporate control. They want machines that work when they need them and that they can repair without begging permission.
Trump captured that frustration perfectly when he said modern equipment “is not as good as the old days.”
For America’s farmers, that statement is not nostalgia. It is a hard-earned truth learned in the middle of planting season, with crops on the line and a broken tractor sitting silent in the field.
Totally agree with Trump and farmers.