The Western Equipment Dealers Association rejects proposed right-to-repair legislation as ‘unnecessary and divisive’
WINNIPEG — Farm groups and a number of non-farm groups are pushing governments to pass right-to-repair legislation. Industry is pushing back, saying that companies are addressing farmers’ concerns about repairing equipment. Chief among farmer concerns is expensive new equipment that comes to a halt in the field when a computer malfunctions. Farmers attending Crop Connect […] Read moreTag Archives right to repair
You bought and paid for your tractor; but own it?
The licensing agreement for the embedded software in Tom Schwarz’s John Deere tractor has him frustrated. “This contract between you and Deere defines every electronic part in the product as a licensed product and it demands total control over those parts, which of course the equipment is useless without. What Deere is effectively saying is […] Read more
U.S. farmers fight for right to repair
Growers rebuff recent industry proposal to improve service as an attempt to derail right to repair legislation
Farmers buying a new implement face two technological hurdles. First, the electronics are nearly impossible to repair, and second, they may not have the legal right to try fixing it. To top it off, they may not even own the tractor for which they paid half a million dollars. Some manufacturers argue that they own […] Read more
Tractor hacking new underground revolution
Many Midwest American farmers feel their sovereignty and sense of independence has been violated by the electronic lockups integral to new farm implements. Their fight for digital independence is part philosophical and part pragmatic. You can almost sense the atmosphere of the Boston Tea Party pulsing in their veins as farmers deal with losing their […] Read more
A farmer’s perspective on repair
I did not realize until now that there was quite as big a “movement” about aftermarket repair. I have talked to a few mechanics who repair mostly John Deere farm equipment, and they say up to 2006 they can get into most farm machinery computers. I get the sense that these guys are low profile […] Read more
Manufacturers plan to offer farmers more information
Farm equipment dealers and manufacturers are swerving to avoid a large pothole in their technology sales road, offering farmers more information about what keeps their machinery ticking. The growing right to repair movement has been a global phenomenon. From cellular phones to the latest automobiles, people have been hacking their way through the technology to […] Read more
Farmer group concerned with future of implements
At their Jan. 25 annual meeting, members of Keystone Agricultural Producers expressed their concern with the potential negative impact of technological developments in farm machinery. That concern was brought into focus during a presentation by David Yee, vice-president of operations at the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute. He explained how existing intellectual property legislation can be […] Read more
