Right To Repair?!

If you own a piece of equipment, you should be able to fix it. This seems like a fairly obvious and uncontroversial idea, right? And yet, more and more, farmers are unable to make basic repairs to  farm equipment they own because manufacturers refuse to provide the parts, tools, and documentation necessary to do so. Fair repair is a major issue in the agricultural community—farmers struggle to repair newer tractors with modern electronic equipment and are forced to rely on dealerships to make these costly (and often time-consuming) repairs.

That’s why Rural Vermont, VPIRG and others are proud to be part of the Right-to-Repair movement and in support of bill H.58 that would require agricultural equipment manufacturers to provide, on fair and reasonable terms, the documentation, parts, and tools necessary to repair their equipment. This would give farmers more repair options--by either allowing them to fix certain issues themselves or make use of local independent repair providers.

2021 promises to be a big year for the Right-to-Repair movement. There is currently fair repair legislation pending in 14 states. We have a chance to make some real progress in Vermont, if we can enact this legislation. But we also know the large equipment manufacturers are going to fight this tooth-and-nail. 

Lawmakers need to hear from farmers directly on this issue. Stories directly from Vermont farmers will help push back on the large manufacturers’ scare tactics and misinformation. If you’re a farmer or know somebody that has dealt with issues around the repair of agricultural equipment, please share your story with us and contact caroline@ruralvermont.org.

So if you’ve got an experience you’re willing to share, please let us know!