Farm Groups Push Indiana, Other States to Follow Colorado’s Lead on ‘Right to Repair’ Bill

Now that lawmakers in Colorado have passed a bill that will allow farmers fix their own equipment, several farm groups are encouraging Indiana lawmakers to follow suit.
“We feel like there’s a real fairness issue in agriculture. Farmers really need the right to fix their own stuff,” says Aaron Shier, government relations director for the National Farmers Union.
The Consumer Right to Repair Agriculture Equipment Act passed the Colorado Senate 46-14 last week, while the state House passed the bill in February. Colorado is the first U.S. state whose lawmakers voted to approve this type of law. The bill now goes before Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) for his approval.
Shier says the National Farmers Union and other ag groups are pushing Indiana and other states to follow Colorado’s lead on “Right to Repair.”
“We hope getting this legislation passed at the state level can continue to move the conversation forward in other states and eventually lead to a national level solution,” says Shier. “We absolutely do want all farmers to have this right.”
The Colorado legislation requires that farm machinery manufacturers like John Deere and CNH Industrial furnish their customers with diagnostic tools, software documents, and repair manuals beginning on January 1, 2024. Manufacturers must also provide those same resources to independent technicians. Manufacturers had required customers to only use authorized dealers and technicians to perform repairs on farm equipment, such as tractors and combines.
Both Deere and CNH Industrial had signed separate memorandums of understanding with the American Farm Bureau Federation earlier this year to allow farmers the ability to repair their own equipment.
“‘Right to Repair’ is an issue that spans across many consumer electronic issues, and so we’re proud of the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union and the many partners that they work with in the state of Colorado to get this across the finish line,” says Shier.
Similar “Right to Repair Farm Equipment” bills have been filed with state legislatures in ten other states, including Missouri, Texas, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey and Vermont.