The issue is also the subject of lawsuits filed against Deere claiming anti-competitive practices.
On Sunday, American Farm Bureau Federation President, Zippy Duvall, and a Deere representative signed a memorandum of understanding to allow owners and repair shops to fix John Deere equipment.
Duvall says equipment owners haven't been able to fix their Deere machines on their own farms which costs time and money. "It ensures that our farmers can repair their equipment and have access to the diagnostic tools and product guides so that they can find the problems and find solutions for them. And this is the beginning of a process that we think is going to be real healthy for our famers and for the company because what it does is it sets up an opportunity for our farmers to really work with John Deere on a personal basis."
David Gilmore, from John Deere, says the agreement will also protect the company's intellectual property and patented technology. "It’s vitally important that we have an opportunity for American Farm Bureau Federation and industry to come together to solve issues and opportunities that we have. Machinery and equipment and the products that our customers invest in are a large investment. And the opportunity for them to maximize the uptime of that equipment and minimize downtime is an important area of focus for our organization and for the industry."
Deere representatives will meet with the bureau twice a year to evaluate progress and resolve issues that come up.
The Farm Bureau is already talking with other manufacturers, encouraging them to use the memo of understanding with Deere as a model.
Last summer, a federal judicial panel consolidated several "right to repair" lawsuits filed against John Deere in several states. The class action complaint will be heard in the Northern District of Illinois in Rockford.
In addition, three groups have asked the federal government to investigate John Deere for refusing to give owners access to software and other tools needed to fix tractors, combines, and other equipment. The groups are the Public Interest Research Group, Repair dot org, and iFixit. They also say the company's practices may violate the Clean Air Act.
As part of the agreement, the Farm Bureau has agreed NOT to push for right to repair legislation.
It'll cost $3,160 a year to access the necessary manuals. Initially, owners and repair shops have to also buy a $1377 Bluetooth interface kit, along with a compatible laptop.
