美国联邦贸易委员会（FTC）和美国农业部（USDA）对农业设备市场展开了调查，包括可能存在的不公平竞争行为。
The Federal Trade Commission and the US Department of Agriculture launched an inquiry into the agricultural equipment market, including potential anticompetitive conduct.
周三宣布的这项公开调查旨在回应农民日益增加的投诉，他们表示在获取农业设备以及维护设备所需的服务方面面临诸多障碍。
The public inquiry, announced Wednesday, seeks to address a “growing number of complaints” from farmers that they “face other barriers to acquiring agricultural equipment and the services required to keep equipment operating.”
迪尔公司（Deere & Co.）的股价跌幅进一步扩大至5.7%，而竞争对手AGCO公司和CNH工业公司（CNH Industrial NV）的股价分别下跌了8.4%和7.3%；卡特彼勒公司（Caterpillar Inc.）的股价盘中也下跌了6.4%。
Shares in Deere & Co. extended declines to as much as 5.7%, while rivals AGCO Corp. and CNH Industrial NV tumbled 8.4% and 7.3%, respectively. Caterpillar Inc. shares fell as much as 6.4% intraday.
由于利率上升，机械设备的购买成本增加，这已成为农民面临的诸多财务压力之一。
The price of machinery has been one of many financial stressors for farmers, especially as elevated interest rates make such investments even costlier.
近年来，由于农作物价格低迷，农民减少了新设备的购买，这对包括迪尔在内的机械设备制造商的销量产生了负面影响。
Farmers have pulled back on purchasing new equipment in recent years amid weak crop prices, weighing on the sales of machinery manufacturers including Deere.
根据相关声明，这一最新举措是FTC‘维护农业领域竞争’工作的一部分。
The latest move is part of the FTC’s “work to preserve competition in the agricultural sector,” according to the release.
此前FTC曾在7月与迪尔公司达成和解，解决了该公司被指控非法限制农民和独立维修服务提供商维修其农业设备能力的诉讼。
That includes a July settlement with Deere, which resolved a lawsuit that alleged the company unlawfully limited the ability of farmers and independent repair providers to service the company’s farm equipment.