The President of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with executives from John Deere that will give farmers more opportunity to diagnose and repair their own Deere tractors and other equipment.
"A lot of times, dealers are several hours away in some part of our country," said Zippy Duvall, a Georgia farmer and President of AFBF. He added, "This is the beginning of a process that we think will be very healthy for our farmers and for the country."
Duvall announced the agreement at AFBF's annual meeting, which was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico this past week.
The MOU will give farmers and third-party mechanics the ability to pay for subscriptions or access to Deere diagnostic tools and product guides needed to make repairs. A key area of distinction is the difference between right to repair and right to modify. Some groups are pushing for access to control codes in machines to make changes they feel necessary. This MOU does differentiate between the two ideas – repair or modify. AFBF respects and supports intellectual property rights of companies – a sticking point in discussions over right-to-repair legislation across the country.
In return for signing the agreement, AFBF agrees to encourage state Farm Bureau organizations to back the MOU and decline from "introducing, promoting, or supporting federal or state 'Right to Repair' legislation" that goes beyond the obligations spelled out in the six-page MOU.
Mark McHargue, President of the Nebraska Farm Bureau, was among the first Farm Bureau state leaders to start negotiating for private agreements with farm equipment companies. He called the MOU signing a "watershed moment" between the country's largest farm organization and the largest manufacturer of machinery and parts. He noted the agreement gives farmers the ability to use third-party technicians to develop tools and software for repairs. "That's not something we probably could have done before this MOU," McHargue said.
Deere also agrees in the MOU for meetings twice a year with AFBF members to talk about repair issues or related problems.
"Fundamentally, I think it tips the scale for the farmer in ways that we haven't had before when it comes to diagnostics and repairs," McHargue said.
EDITOR’S TAKE:
Right to Repair legislation has been introduced in a number of states and has pitted farmers and dealer organizations against the OEM’s and their representative organizations. It has been a very contentious issue, to say the least. Now it appears that the white flag has been hoisted and the major participants in this fight have finally reached a more tenable solution, which should bring all the parties closer together and make for much greater collaboration going forward. AFBF should now implement this same type of agreement with other OEM’s and dealer organizations throughout the country in order to ensure a firmer understanding among all parties. This MOU is a very good start!
