In a historic move, John Deere – one of the world’s largest manufacturers of farming equipment – granted US customers the right to repair their own machinery.
This stands as a major win for consumer advocacy groups who have fought for years against companies’ restrictions on independent repairs and cheaper parts options. With this deal, farmers can now take charge of fixing their machines themselves.
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Farmers Now Have Unprecedented Access to Crucial Resources
A historic partnership between the Deere & Co. and American Farm Bureau Federation took a huge step forward on Sunday, creating new opportunities to bridge farmers’ access needs with technological innovation security concerns.
Through an agreement never before seen in U.S. agricultural history, producers now have access to invaluable tools and resources found within John Deere’s intellectual property rights system. This comes while preserving safety measures across their operations nationwide.
Equipment manufacturer John Deere and the American Farm Bureau Federation have signed an agreement that ensures farmers and ranchers have the right to repair their own farm equipment. https://t.co/pjKzz6Jgtk
— The Seattle Times (@seattletimes) January 10, 2023
AFBF President Zippy Duvall celebrated this “long-running issue” resolution as a major milestone for the industry at large moving into 2021 – one that will impact generations of farmworkers yet to come.
In a groundbreaking move to safeguard public safety, it is now illegal for owners and independent technicians of agricultural equipment to access any confidential information or tamper with industry-mandated safety protocols.
This ruling aims to maximize performance while preserving the emissions controls and power levels that are essential for maintaining health standards.
Independent Repair Shops to Have More Control
A senior VP at Deere & Co., Mr. Dave Gilmore, helped lead the company’s support for the popularly-backed right-to-repair movement.
Aiming to give customers and independent repair shops more control over machinery maintenance and repairs, they are partnering with American Farm Bureau Federation in hopes of providing crucial resources to farmers across America.
Farmers now have the right to repair their John Deere tractors themselves or through independent third parties, ending a lengthy battle with the agricultural machinery company. https://t.co/HGMt9ZLNCF
— Ars Technica (@arstechnica) January 10, 2023
In 2022, Apple ushered in a new era of self-sufficiency as they unveiled their ‘self-service repair’ program. Customers can now take matters into their own hands and swap out batteries, screens, and cameras on the most recent iPhones with relative ease.
In response to consumer complaints of limited access and prohibitive costs for repair services, the United Kingdom and European Union governments created and passed policies, requiring manufacturers to make spare parts available for some electronics and gadgets.
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The ability to easily fix products is seen as a crucial part of extending their lifespans – something consumers are increasingly demanding from purchase decisions.
In 2021, it can be noted that Biden took a significant step toward supporting consumers when an executive order was signed by him.
This order calls on the Commission of the Federal Trade to create a policy that will allow customers in agriculture and technology to carry out their own repair work. This news comes after states like New York and Massachusetts passed similar measures earlier last year.
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