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Nebraska could be the first state to move on Right to Repair legislation

Nebraska could be the first state to give farmers the right to repair their own equipment.

Farmer Doug Bartek grows corn and soybeans near Lincoln and says dealerships are unfairly passing the burden of fixing equipment onto producers. “The price of repairs at our local dealerships is getting just astronomical.”

State Senator Tom Brandt, a farmer and Republican from Plymouth, has introduced legislation that would require dealerships to provide access to digital repairs. “They really don’t want to see this so it can be business as usual. It’s been a good revenue stream to send a mechanic or technician with the laptop computer.  They come to your farm, plug it in and reset your system.”

He says although several states have previously introduced similar legislation, measures stalled.

Brandt tells Brownfield that’s where farmers pay the price. “A modern machine will not start until it’s been recent. They usually charge a mechanic’s wage for that guy to come out.  That might be $140 an hour for him to come out, plug the computer in, resent your machine so your machine will start that you made the repair to and the clock doesn’t stop until the guy gets back to the dealership.”

Brandt says he hopes this puts pressure on the major dealerships to sign a national memorandum of understanding that would create a platform for owners and third-party mechanics to have access to digital repairs.

LB 543 was voted out of the judiciary committee last Thursday and is expected to be debated by the full Unicameral before the session ends in late March.

The measure has the support of several state agriculture groups, including the Nebraska Farm Bureau, the Nebraska State Dairy Association, Nebraska Corn Growers Association, Nebraska Pork Producers, Nebraska Cattlemen, Nebraska Soybean Association and Nebraska Wheat Growers Association.

  • So Mr. Tom Brandt thinks a dealership should send a Service Tech that is making $60.00 per hour if you include benefits that is driving a $150,000 Service Truck burning almost $4.00 per gallon fuel under the Biden administration out to his farm for free. I hope when you read this it sounds as stupid as it really is.

    • Maybe they meant that , like cars, farmers should be able to have the ability to do that themselves. Would you buy a car you could only bring to the dealer and pay them $250 because you changed the oil or replaced a faulty sensor?

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