Agriculture probably isn’t the first industry that comes to mind when thinking of the latest technology, but farmers and ranchers rely on machines dependent on the latest technology.

“Farm equipment can’t be repaired with the turn of a wrench or a piece of bailing wire anymore,” the American Farm Bureau (AFB) says. Instead, most equipment requires experts to repair it – but when a manufacturer requires equipment to be repaired at their dealership, it comes at a hefty cost to a farmer’s bottom line.

“When a piece of machinery breaks down, the nearest dealer may be hundreds of miles away, leading to long downtimes and expensive repairs,” the AFB says.

A historic July settlement between the Federal Trade Commission and John Deere is a welcome corrective, bringing farmers’ and ranchers’ right to repair their own equipment closer than ever – but it isn’t enough. Congress must act, codifying right-to-repair to ensure this undue burden on farmers and the monopoly it creates are broken for good.

“When I first read the ruling, I actually shed a few tears. It was kind of emotional,” Walter Schweitzer, president of the Montana Farmers Union, told me in July. “We’ve been fighting and advocating for farmers’ right to repair for over a decade.”

If that seems maudlin, it isn’t. Montana’s growing season is short and often unforgiving. A combine that is down for even a few days can mean the difference between getting your crop before the first frost or weather and not. In some cases, that means the difference between whether or not the farm survives another year.

Without the right-to-repair, he said, equipment manufacturers have farmers not only for the initial sale but can then tie them to their parts and their repair shops. Where I live on Montana’s Hi-Line, that can mean having to travel hundreds of miles simply to get the right part or to find a dealer-owned or approved repair shop. A 2023 study by the Public Research Interest Group found that this practice costs America’s farmers up to $4.2 billion a year in lost revenue and excess repair costs.

July’s settlement between John Deere and five states – Illinois, Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin – requires the company to provide farmers and independent repair providers the same resources, including software capabilities, currently provided by authorized John Deere dealers. Because John Deere has such a significant market share – the American Economic Liberties Project reports that Deere controls 53% of the domestic market for large tractors and 60% for farm combines – Schweitzer told me that most of its competitors will be forced to follow suit, meaning economic relief to farmers and rural communities across the nation.

However, a senior FTC official speaking on background told me that any future administration could undo the ruling. Congress, he said, needs to codify it to make it permanent.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, introduced the Freedom for Agriculture Repair and Maintenance – or FARM – Act earlier this year. The bill, according to Spectrum News, would require manufacturers to provide farmers “fair and reasonable” access to parts, software, and documents needed to make their own repairs.

“You don’t even get to repair your own equipment,” said Warren. “Now that’s just a second way for a giant corporation to be able to squeeze our farmers. What our bill says is, once you bought it, you’re entitled to fix it yourself. You know, it seems pretty common sense to me.”

It seems pretty common sense to me, too. The machines farmers use are massive – and expensive. A mid-range combine can cost between $350,000 and $500,000, with some models exceeding $1 million. In a place like northern Montana, where farms and ranches are expansive and the population sparse, finding a manufacturer-approved repair shop or dealership can mean driving hours. Waiting for parts can take weeks.

If you’ve never lived in farm country, it is hard to appreciate this hardship. I didn’t until I moved to the Hi-Line earlier this year. Valley County, where I live, is roughly the size of the state of Connecticut. Yet with a population of only around 7,000, human capital and repair options are limited. Rather than having to drive 300 miles to Billings or Great Falls, right to repair would guarantee farmers can fix their own equipment right here at home.

This used to be common sense. Before built-in obsolescence and big ag’s monopolies, family farmers regularly repaired their own equipment. While the FTC’s settlement with John Deere brings those halcyon days closer to return, it simply isn’t enough.

Skylar Baker-Jordan is the editor-in-chief of the Glasgow Courier in Glasgow, Montana.

This story was originally published in the Daily Yonder. For more rural reporting and small-town stories visit dailyyonder.com.

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Commentary: Congress needs to codify farmers’ Right-to-Repair