Ag Informer – “Right to Repair” Costing Farmers

A survey released this week shows that farmers are losing an average of $3,348 per year to repair downtime and restrictions because farm equipment makers limit their ability to fix tractors, combines, and other equipment.

The survey of 53 farmers across 14 states, conducted by the U.S. PIRG Education Fund and the National Farmers Union, estimates that if every farmer in the country faced similar losses, restrictions placed on farmers repairing their equipment would cost U.S. producers more than $3 billion a year.

The cost of labor and parts has risen in recent years, increasing the financial strain on farms when it comes to repairs. According to the report, data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that repair costs have nearly doubled over the past two decades for equipment used to produce soybeans and corn, the nation’s two most widely grown crops.

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.

Earlier this year, John Deere announced a joint agreement with the American Farm Bureau Federation to increase farmers’ access to repair materials and information, but PIRG and farm groups are skeptical of the agreement and others like it, including one announced last month by CNH Industrial.