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AFBF inks right to repair MOU with John Deere

A new agreement between the American Farm Bureau Federation and John Deere helps ensure farmers have the right to repair their own equipment.

American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall says the memorandum of understanding enables farmers to work with independent mechanics to identify and fix problems.

“It ensures our farmers they can repair their equipment and have access to the product guides so that they can find the problems and find solutions for them,” Duvall said Sunday at the 2023 AFBF Convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

David Gilmore, Senior vice President of Ag and Turf Sales and Marketing with John Deere, says the agreement also allows farmers to purchase diagnostic tools directly from the manufacturer and receive assistance when ordering parts and products.

“Machinery and equipment are a large investment,” Gilmore said. “The opportunity for them to maximize the uptime of that equipment and minimize downtime is an important area of focus for our organization and for the industry.”

Duvall says they have already started similar discussions with other equipment manufacturers.

The MOU was supported by state farm bureau organizations across the country. Illinois Farm Bureau President Rich Guebert says farmers deserve the freedom to choose where their equipment is repaired, including the ability to repair their own equipment.

Nebraska Farm Bureau President Mark McHargue tells Brownfield the MOU is a landmark agreement that culminates several years of discussions with John Deere. He says the right to repair policy was initially brought forward by Nebraska Farm Bureau.