Agricultural equipment leader John Deere has finally come to agreement on the right of US customers to repair their own farming equipment.
The company announced over the weekend that it had signed an memorandum of understanding with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) that “addresses a long-running issue for farmers and ranchers when it comes to accessing tools, information and resources, while protecting John Deere’s intellectual property rights and ensuring equipment safety.”
The issue goes all the way back to 2016 when the John Deere changed its end-user license that required all repairs involving proprietary computer software – similar to modern cars – be handled by authorized technicians. That didn’t sit well with farmers who wanted to the right to repair their own farming gear.
The dispute dragged on for years and even President Joe Biden weighed in 2021 with an executive order that took aim at John Deere’s “anticompetitive restrictions” on independent repair.
The new agreement will help the OEM avoid any federal interference while at the same closing the book on a long-running PR problem.
Farmers will now have access to diagnostic and repair codes, as well as manuals (operator, parts, service) and product guides. The agreement also ensures farmers can purchase diagnostic tools directly from John Deere and receive assistance from the manufacturer when ordering parts and products.
“This agreement reaffirms the longstanding commitment Deere has made to ensure our customers have the diagnostic tools and information they need to make many repairs to their machines,” said David Gilmore, John Deere Senior Vice President, Ag & Turf Sales & Marketing in a statement. “We look forward to working alongside the American Farm Bureau and our customers in the months and years ahead to ensure farmers continue to have the tools and resources to diagnose, maintain and repair their equipment.”
Read John Deere’s full press release here.