The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is probing farm equipment maker Deere over the company's repair policies, according to a filing made public Thursday.

The agency is investigating whether Deere engaged in anticompetitive or unfair practices, the filing with the FTC showed.

The investigation, authorized on Sept. 2, 2021, focuses on repair restrictions manufacturers place on hardware or software, often referred to by regulators as impeding customers' "right to repair" the goods they purchase.

The probe was made public through a filing by data analytics company Hargrove & Associates Inc, which sought to quash an FTC subpoena.

A spokesperson for the FTC declined to comment, and a representative for Deere did not immediately respond.