Right to repair

Right to repair

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
It's part of the president's executive order on competition that impacts agriculture, but does not come under USDA purview, the ability of ag producers to conduct do it yourself repairs or use repair shops independent from equipment manufacturers. Manufacturers who in many cases require repairs at the dealership of equipment that has proprietary technology. This would come under the jurisdiction of the Federal Trade Commission. As Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack explains: I think this executive order is really directing the government to take a look at how do you create an opportunity for producers to have the best opportunity to repair their equipment at the lowest possible cost, while still maintaining the assurance that the technology that's connected to the equipment will continue to function and continue to work. So I think it's designed really to make sure that producers aren't stuck in a contractual circumstances a situation where they are really ending up having to pay significantly more for simple repairs that could be done by anyone. The a majority of farmers believe that they should be able to repair their own equipment. One farmer who is aware is Andrew Mickelson of Roberts, Idaho who advocates the right to repair in Idaho and says the situation is improving. There were several meetings where the manufacturers came out. The manufacturers are concerned about it. I think they're willing to meet some middle ground there and they're just worried that legislation is going to go through that's going to twist their hand.
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