John Deere signs on to ‘Right to Repair’ agreement

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Folks in our region can now repair their John Deere equipment easier.

It’s thanks to a victory in the “Right to Repair” fight against farm equipment giant John Deere. The agreement follows years of lawsuits and complaints and it means farmers can diagnose and fix their tractors and other equipment without using company parts or facilities.

The American Farm Bureau Federation says the agreement also protects John Deere’s intellectual property. AFBF president Joe Tisbert says farmers here have been fighting for this for years.

“It will save Vermonters money over time. But I think in the bigger picture, being able to have the diagnostic equipment and fix their own equipment on a day when no one’s around to fix your equipment -- I think is going to be a bigger deal,” he said.

We asked if this has impacts on other major farm equipment makers like Kubota. He says to his knowledge, John Deere is the only one to come to the table so far.

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