‘Right to repair’ wrong for Iowa

While many industries are struggling amid the pandemic, the agriculture sector has been disproportionately impacted as we continue grappling with fallout from extreme weather conditions we endured throughout 2020.

To successfully recover and thrive in 2021, it's imperative that our elected leaders support new, smart policies that strengthen American agriculture and allow us to keep feeding and fueling the World. While it's important to move forward; it's more important to not focus on misguided policies of the past like 'right to repair,” which would negatively affect the agriculture sector. Seventeen states introduced this type of legislation in the past two years alone, though it fortunately never made it past the finish line in Iowa nor anywhere else to become signed into law.

It is not surprising every single state failed to pass overly broad 'right to repair” laws or more-targeted 'right to repair” legislation specifically regarding agricultural equipment because farmers already have the legal right to fix, repair and maintain their tractors and other machinery. This issue is more complex than it's made out to be by so-called 'right to repair” activists who are pushing this legislation, and whose motivation is to secure access to back-end code and other proprietary information for purposes other than repair.

Farm equipment is more complex and technologically advanced than it was just two decades ago. Agriculture's legacy of innovation over the past few decades has increased farm equipment capabilities and helped farmers better manage resources to become more efficient in producing crops. Overly broad 'right to repair” laws would hinder this great innovation that allows our farm equipment to technologically advance every year.

If special interest groups gain access to the back-end code of farm equipment such as tractors, planters and combines, it can significantly impact the safety and durability of the machinery. There are federal safety and emission laws in place to protect equipment owners and the public. This is really an issue of assignment of potential liability, not farmers' ability to repair their farm equipment.

Equipment manufacturers and dealers agree that farmers should have control over their equipment, even though it's more complex to repair, which is why the major farm equipment manufacturers adopted a statement of principles to ensure end-users, such as farmers and ranchers, have the required information and tools to safely make repairs. Last year, equipment manufacturers fulfilled their promise by releasing comprehensive product guides, repair manuals, and other service information to help farmers make repairs quickly without the help of a certified technician.

The agricultural industry is an interdependent community that takes pride in supporting each other and while working diligently to grow crops that feed our World. With so many ongoing challenges, legislation like 'right to repair” will only make matters more complex and challenging while increasing burdens on our entire industry. As a leading agriculture producing state, it's important Iowa leads the way and says 'no” to this type of legislation going forward.

Jeremy Davis is a former regional coordinator with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.