SEATTLE — Viewer Gerald emailed KING 5 asking about a viral Facebook post that claims John Deere is telling farmers they must switch to electric tractors by 2023.
The post claims, “leftys are now going after diesel powered farm equipment and want electric tractors and combines.” The poster also claims his friend has a “partnership farm” with John Deere and that the company called his friend recently and said they want his farm to have all electric tractors by 2023.
THE QUESTION
“Is the viral Facebook post about John Deere requiring farmers to use electric tractors in 2023 false?”
THE SOURCES
- John Deere
- U.S. Government, because the post mentions the “green dream” which appears to reference the Green New Deal
THE ANSWER
No, John Deere nor the U.S. Government are requiring farmers to switch to electric tractors by 2023.
WHAT WE FOUND
John Deere told us this post is not true. The company said it never called farmers to tell them to switch to electric tractors by 2023. It also said it doesn’t have a partner farm program. John Deere told KING 5 it has no plans for large electric tractors, just small ones by 2026.
The Green New Deal is not a specific policy proposal, rather a general set of goals. One of those goals is "working collaboratively with farmers and ranchers in the United States to remove pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector as much as is technologically feasible..." however, it makes no mention of requiring farmers to switch to electric tractors by 2023.
If you have something you want us to verify, send us an email at verify@king5.com.