New Right-to-Repair MOUs Bring Industry Coverage to 70%

The American Farm Bureau Federation signed two more right to repair MOUs, this time with AGCO and Kubota. Emily Buckman, AFBF Government Affairs Director, says combined with MOUs from John Deere and CNH Industrial, the four agreements cover roughly 70 percent of the agricultural machinery sold in the United States.

“We’re extremely excited that we have now secured four memorandums of understanding since January. 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, and we’re excited to see our efforts come to fruition. 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 says it’s all about reducing downtime in the field.

“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. And this isn’t just extended to farmers and ranchers, but also, to independent repair shops as well.” 

Buckman says 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. 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.” 

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