Frank J. Buchman

Cowboy • Horseman • Writer

Legislation To Help Farmers Reduce Cost Of Equipment Repair

Farmers lose $3,348 per year to repair farm equipment because manufacturers limit their ability to do the work.

A survey conducted by National Farmers Union estimates these restrictions cost U.S. producers more than $3 billion a year.

Cost of labor and parts has risen in recent years, increasing the financial strain on farmers.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture repair costs have doubled over the past two decades for equipment.

Additionally, when producers face the stress of repair costs and subsequent downtime, it increases their anxiety about their farm’s solvency.

A third of growers surveyed said they worried about losing their farm due to equipment failures, prolonged downtime, and costly repairs during busy growing seasons.

“They can be watching as their crop and their livelihoods literally wither on the vine,” said Kevin O’Reilly, the report’s author.

“It’s very clear that something is wrong with this system,” O’Reilly said. “These farmers are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on this equipment. The idea that they don’t completely own it and they can’t fix it when it breaks is offensive to the American way.”

The report comes at a time when legislation is being introduce that could allow farmers to repair their own equipment. It’s a movement broadly known as the Right to Repair.

According to O’Reilly, 15 states have introduced legislation that would allow farmers in that state to repair their agricultural equipment.

The Colorado legislature passed the Consumer Right to Repair Agricultural Equipment Act (HB23-1011). It would allow farmers to repair equipment and force manufacturers to share information needed to fix the equipment.

“Everyone who eats will benefit from this law,” said Gay Gordon-Byrne, executive director of The Repair Association. “Farmers will have more timely options for repair. That will make it easier to use high-tech products, which, in turn, enable more productive farms.”

John Deere has announced an agreement with the American Farm Bureau Federation to increase farmers’ access to repair materials and information. But farm groups are skeptical of the agreement and others like it.

The Latest: