Additional MOUs Expand Right to Repair Coverage

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) signed two more agreements with AGCO and Kubota ensuring farmers and ranchers’ right to repair their equipment.

Combined with the memoranda of understanding from John Deere and CNH Industrial, the four agreements cover roughly 70% of the agricultural machinery sold in the United States.

“Right to repair has been an important issue for a number of years and this effort has been a culmination of years of discussion with manufacturers,” Emily Buckman, AFBF Government Affairs director, said. “And we do believe that this is something that will provide our members with the tools that they need to make necessary repairs when their equipment breaks down.”

Buckman noted it’s about reducing downtime in the field and giving farmers and ranchers the tools needed to keep them running.

“When equipment breaks down, that’s time and money for a farmer. So, by giving farmers and ranchers easier access to the tools needed to make fixes to their equipment, that means that they’re able to get it back up and running so they can plant, harvest, whatever it is that they’re doing at the time,” she said. “And this isn’t just extended to farmers and ranchers, but also, to independent repair shops, as well.”

The effort grants farmers access to repair information and allows for future updates.

“The MOUs outline that farmers and independent repair shops have access to diagnostic or repair codes, manuals, product guides, the ability to directly purchase diagnostic tools from the manufacturer, as well as assistance from the manufacturers,” she said. “It allows our organization to engage with manufacturers regularly, see what’s working, see what’s not, amend it so that we can address the needs of our members, as well as update it as technology advances.”

The MOU sets parameters and creates a mechanism to address farmers’ concerns.

“We recognized how big that issue was and went to work on it. We felt like it was worth a try to try to solve that within the industry before we have regulations through legislation to do that, so we have accomplished that,” AFBF President Zippy Duval said in an interview with the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network. “We are very proud of it. It’s something we will revisit every six months with the manufacturers and make sure we attempt to fix any problems our members or farmers are having.”