US Farmers Win Right to Repair John Deere Equipment
10th January 2023
Consumer groups have for years been calling on companies to allow their customers to be able to fix everything from smartphones to tractors.
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and Deere & Co. signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Sunday.
“It addresses a long-running issue for farmers and ranchers when it comes to accessing tools, information and resources, while protecting John Deere’s intellectual property rights and ensuring equipment safety,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall said.
Under the agreement, equipment owners and independent technicians will not be allowed to “divulge trade secrets” or “override safety features or emissions controls or to adjust Agricultural Equipment power levels.”
(How would you like to have a name like ‘Zippy’?) The main problem was the working through Deere it took forever to get service, and when the harvest is waiting because you can’t get a company rep to service your machine, that’s Not Good.
UPDATE: John Deere vows to open up its tractor tech, but right-to-repair backers have doubts (NPR)