I can't speak for the large-scale operations, but I'm close with several farmers working between 100 and 500 acres. They know about the repair nonsense, and they tsk-tsk about it, but Deere is deeply entrenched in their cultural identity and the repair shenanigans don't affect them directly.

For these guys, modern Deere hasn't broken the mirage because they all drive "old" tractors, anywhere between 20 and 60 years old. I put "old" in quotes because they don't consider those tractors to be old. To them, a tractor is a thing you own for life, care for dutifully, and hand down to your kid. Just like the house and the fields. 100? Now that's an old tractor!

If you're a boomer farmer, Pops probably had a Deere. And because he probably had a Deere, you probably have a Deere too, because you probably drive Pops's tractor. Brand loyalty takes on a more cultural air when it gets passed down through generations.

Also, some men just have a thing for Deere. You ever seen those pictures of some guy's house and every room is decked out floor to ceiling with Dale Earnhardt memorabilia? That's my grandfather. My buddy's grandfather? Same deal, but Deere instead of Dale.

As for the folks running the big operations with modern tractors, well I don't really know. I've never met any of them. But Deere has a massive network of licensed repair shops. Seriously, I can't tell you how many towns I've driven through around the Great Lakes that are nothing more than a gas station, a dollar store, a school, and a shop with a Deere logo hanging in the window.