Manitoba’s general farm group has joined the American Farm Bureau Federation and come out in favour of the new implement industry memorandum of understanding to provide proprietary service codes to farmers and independent shops. The new agreement takes the locks off manufacturers’ software, security locks and security-related functions to allow for repair and maintenance. It […] Read more
Tag Archives right to repair
Deere, Farm Bureau sign “right to repair” MOU
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The American Farm Bureau Federation and machinery manufacturer Deere & Co. signed a memorandum of understanding on Sunday that ensures farmers have the right to repair their own farm equipment or go to an independent technician. As the agriculture sector accelerates its adoption of technology, the reliance on high-tech machinery such as GPS-guided combines and tractors […] Read more
U.S. right to repair bills introduced
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Reuters) — U.S. lawmakers have introduced right to repair legislation to permit consumers to get vehicles, electronic devices and agriculture equipment serviced by independent outlets. Representative Bobby Rush, a Democrat, said earlier this month that he had introduced legislation to ensure vehicle owners and independent repair shops have equal access to repair and […] Read more
American farmers’ right to repair powered by the president
President Biden issued an executive order on a farmer’s right to repair their equipment. On July 9 President Biden signed the order that asks the Federal Trade Commission to force large manufactures including tech companies and agricultural OEMs let consumers repair their own devices or use the technician of their choice. Biden’s executive order included […] Read more
Dealers issue right-to-repair warning
The relationship between equipment dealers and farmers is close-knit and we have a vested interest for our customers to be prosperous. We know that when farmers are successful, dealers and our communities are successful. That is why it would be unwise for a provincial government to disrupt this relationship by implementing unnecessary regulations on the […] Read more
Case made against right-to-repair
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 more
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
