Deere’s new agreement states that it will ensure that farmers and independent repair shops can register or purchase tools, software and documentation from the company or authorized repair facilities. of the company “on fair and reasonable terms”. The tractor giant also said it will ensure that any independent farmer, technician or repair facility will have electronic access to Deere’s Customer Service Advisor, a digital operator database and technical manuals for a fee.
The memo also promises to give farmers the option to “reset immobilized equipment”—which can happen when a security feature is accidentally activated. Farmers could previously only reset their equipment by visiting a John Deere dealer or having a John Deere authorized technician visit them. “It’s a big complaint,” said Nathan Proctor, US PIRG’s right-to-repair campaign lead. “Farmers will be relieved to know there might be a dealer-free option for that.”
However, other parts of the new deal are too vague to offer substantial help to farmers, right-to-repair advocates say. Schweitzer, who runs cattle on his 3,000-acre ranch, Tiber Angus, in central Montana, said that while the memo has much to do with access to diagnostic tools, farmers do need to fix as well as identify problems. “It’s great to be able to diagnose a problem, but when you find out that it’s a sensor or electronic switch that needs to be replaced, usually that new part has to be reprogrammed with a new kit,” he said. electronic controls on the aircraft. “And it is unclear whether farmers have access to those, that tools.”
Deere spokesman Haber said that “as equipment continues to evolve and technology advances on the farm, Deere continues to be committed to meeting those innovations with enhanced tools and resources.” The company this year will roll out the ability to download software updates directly to some devices, he said, with 4G wireless connectivity, but Haber declined to say whether farmers can reprogram the devices. parts of the device without the involvement of the company or its authorized dealer.
The new agreement is not legally binding. It states that if either party determines that the Memorandum of Understanding is no longer viable, all they must do is provide written notice to the other party of its intention to withdraw. And both US PIRG and Schweitzer noted that other influential farmer groups were not part of the deal, such as the National Farmers Association, where Schweitzer is a board member and runs the Montana division.
Schweitzer is also concerned about how the deal is littered with promises to provide farmers or independent repair shops with “fair and reasonable terms” of access to tools or information. “’Fair and reasonable’ for a multi-billion dollar company can be very different from that of a farmer in debt, trying to pay off a $200,000 tractor and then pay $8,000 to $10,000 to buy hardware to fix,” he said.
The agreement signed by Deere this week comes shortly after New York governor Kathy Hochul signed into law the Digital Equity Repair Act, which requires companies to provide the public with the same tools and information provided to technicians to repair by themselves.
However, while right-to-repair advocates largely cheer the law as a precedent, it is weakened by last-minute compromises with the billsuch as making it only apply to devices manufactured and sold in New York on or after July 1, 2023, and by excluding medical, automotive, and home appliances.
