The Daily Yonder | Colorado’s Right to Repair Law Could Save Farmers Time, Money and Spur Local Business
“We’re gonna return a lot of money to the farmer’s pocket and reduce the burden that they suffer,” said Farm Action’s Joe Van Wye.
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Corporate farm equipment manufacturers have taken away farmers’ consumer rights by restricting access to basic diagnostic tools and limiting farm equipment repair to authorized dealers. This situation burdens farmers with long equipment transports and wait-times for repairs, resulting in losses of tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential yields. This has also harmed rural economies via the collapse of small business mechanics and repair shops, which are not permitted access to the tools they need to fix their neighbors’ equipment.
For too long, a handful of global corporations have stifled the spirit of self-sufficiency and innovation in rural America, and Farm Action has been working to develop and advance policies that give farmers and small businesses a fighting chance.
The Agriculture Right to Repair Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate to restore innovation, flexibility, and economic opportunity to farmers and rural communities. When passed, this legislation will counterbalance the excessive power consolidated by global equipment manufacturers by requiring them to share basic diagnostic and repair tools with equipment owners and repair shops.
The Agriculture Right to Repair Act is part of a broader right to repair movement. In every sector, consumer rights have been stripped away by global corporations, which have discovered that monopolizing the repair market can be much more profitable than new equipment sales. This is tantamount to an attack on independent repair shops — small businesses that once flourished in rural America.
Farm Action is also working with Repair.org, US PIRG, and others to build momentum on the state level to restore consumer rights and level the playing field for small rural businesses.
Farm Action is also pressuring other agencies to act: we joined farm organizations across the country in filing a petition with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The 43-page petition calls for an investigation into Deere and Company’s abusive restrictions that prevent farmers, ranchers, and independent mechanics from repairing farm equipment. If the FTC determines that Deere has violated antitrust laws, it can order the manufacturer to cease withholding information, obtain a federal injunction declaring their practices unlawful and prohibiting them from continuing to restrict repairs, and even obtain monetary penalties.
“We’re gonna return a lot of money to the farmer’s pocket and reduce the burden that they suffer,” said Farm Action’s Joe Van Wye.
Farm Action Local Leader Willie Cade was invited to the signing of a Colorado law enshrining farmers’ right to fix their own tractors.
Willie Cade, a Farm Action Local Leader and right to repair advocate, is concerned Deere is only agreeing to the memorandum to publicly placate critics.
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