Four agricultural equipment makers have now signed MOUs (memorandum of understanding) with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), focusing on allowing farmers to repair their own equipment.
Kubota and AGCO join John Deere and CNH ag brands Case IH and New Holland. According to AFBF, the four MOUs cover roughly 70 percent of the ag equipment sold in the United States. In signing the MOUs, AFBF agreed not to pursue legislative solutions. (See a list of current legislative initiatives.)
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Todd Stucke, SVP of marketing for Kubota Tractor, said in a statement:
“Kubota is pleased to join the AFBF in signing a memorandum of understanding to ensure our customers are empowered with the information and tools needed to safely maintain, diagnose, and make repairs on their own equipment. Through our network of over 1,100 dealers, Kubota makes available the shop tools, parts, guides, and manuals to owners who choose to work directly on their machines. We strive to ensure that our equipment is manufactured to the highest engineering standards to maximize performance for our customers, and this agreement is a good step toward further protecting their safety while operating, maintaining, and repairing it.”
John Deere was the first to sign an MOU that sets parameters around owners’ access to its agricultural equipment. The agreement allows farmers to gain access to diagnostic and repair codes, manuals, and product guides. It also enabled farmers to purchase diagnostic tools directly from Deere.
See also: States with active right-to-repair legislation
The agreement is not working so well for one farmer, who claims the MOU has not changed anything.
Stuart Beam, a North Carolina farmer, told Spectrum News 1 that the annual subscription and one-time costs for diagnostic equipment do not “offer any relief for small to mid-sized farmers.”
Waiting for a dealer to return a machine to operation can take weeks or months, time Beam said farmers cannot afford to waste.
