Michigan Farmers and Ranchers Deserve the Right to Repair

Guest Opinion

By Bob Thompson | July 29, 2023

Imagine you’re a farmer. You’re passionate about growing food, and you put in hours of labor each week to ensure your animals get fed, your crops get watered, and your farm keeps operating. Then, at the height of the growing season, your tractor breaks down. The earliest a technician can come to diagnose the problem is in three days, and after that you’ll have to wait another three days for a repair – at a shop that’s two and a half hours away.

Adding insult to injury, you know the repair would have cost significantly less and would get fixed in less time had you been allowed to fix it yourself or take it to a local shop.

As the president of the Michigan Farmers Union, I hear these concerns from our members all too often. Right now, the rules are rigged in manufacturers’ favor to ensure that farmers don’t have the ability to repair their own equipment, and this must change. The current system is broken and costs farmers precious time and money.

Farmers own the equipment they use, so it’s only common sense that they should have both flexibility and options when it comes to making repairs on the equipment they own. But for too long, farm equipment manufacturers have refused to make the software tools and parts needed to repair modern tractors, combines, and other farm equipment fully available to farmers and independent mechanics.

To make matters more complicated, farmers and ranchers might have to travel several hundred miles just to get a tractor or combine repaired at a dealer-authorized repair center, and it may cost a small fortune. That’s simply unfair.

Luckily, state lawmakers are considering a bill proposed in the state legislature to address these ongoing concerns farmers and ranchers are voicing.

HB 4673, the “Agricultural Equipment Repair Act,” (aka Right to Repair) was introduced by Rep. Reggie Miller (D–Van Buren Township) and ensures that farmers and ranchers in the state of Michigan have the right to access the tools and equipment they need to repair the equipment they own. The state legislature should pass HB 4673 as soon as possible, because repairing a tractor shouldn’t require days and a significant financial setback to get fixed.

HB 4673 would save farmers both time and money during the growing season, at a time when a minor equipment issue could jeopardize their livelihood.

Right to Repair is also an issue of economic fairness for farmers, ranchers, and their communities. It’s been the case for some time that giant agriculture companies hire lobbyists to write laws that protect their bottom line while everyone else pays the price—especially farmers and ranchers. These laws impact independent farmers by limiting competition and self-sufficiency. It’s time we rein in the control that corporate agriculture has on farmers and eaters alike. Allowing farmers the right to repair their own farm equipment is a good first step.

A short time ago, most rural farming communities had a couple options when it came to repairs and finding machinery. Now, in many places, there might only be one dealer-authorized repair center. This dynamic is part of a broader trend in rural areas that favors the consolidation of industry. Consolidation means that there’s less competition and fairness in the marketplace, which often means that us farmers and ranchers, and ultimately folks who eat our food, pay more.

What we’re seeing now with independent repair shops is that they can’t get business because they can’t access the tools, parts, and diagnostics for repairs. By passing the Right to Repair, farmers can get their equipment serviced at independent shops in their own communities, or do the repair themselves if they’re capable, saving them both time and money while supporting local businesses. This means that jobs can stay local rather than going elsewhere.

Right to Repair is a key issue in National Farmers Union’s Fairness for Farmers campaign, which aims to build fairer and more competitive agricultural markets, and to address the consolidation crisis in agriculture. The Michigan Farmers Union believes that HB 4673 is a win for independent farmers and ranchers across Michigan and provides another important precedent for other states across the nation.

As a fourth-generation independent family farmer, I know all too well that it’s time to bring some fairness to agriculture so folks who grow our food can make a living and thrive. I’m pleased that Rep. Miller introduced HB 4673, and I hope both legislative chambers pass this bill soon, allowing it to make its way to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk.

Bob Thompson is president of the Michigan Farmers Union.