We seldom use No-Till Farmer pages for an article unrelated to reduced tillage. But that’s the case this month with the right-to-repair (R2R) article.

R2R is a controversial topic we felt needed extensive coverage and a subject that the general ag media doesn’t appear to have the courage to report on due to worries about picking sides with the big equipment makers and their advertising budgets. But as you’ll see from our 3-page article, Lessiter Media is uniquely positioned to tell the story from both sides, since we also publish Farm Equipment, a business magazine for dealers and manufacturers. 

Controversy Continues

In addition to our “Point/Counterpoint” article, several other developments in the R2R controversy are worth sharing.

1. Colorado passed the country’s first R2R legislation in mid-April. This ruling is at odds with three of the major machinery manufacturers who’ve inked agreements with major ag groups with the promise not to pursue this kind of legislation. Taking effect in 2024, Colorado’s law requires manufacturers to provide farmers with the needed diagnostic tools, software documents and manuals to repair their own equipment. 

It’s a situation manufacturers and dealers hoped to avoid, preferring no laws at all or federal R2R legislation rather than state-by-state rulings. Similar legislation has been introduced in a dozen states.

2. In regard to the American Farm Bureau Federation Memorandum of Understanding agreements between Deere, Case IH and New Holland, lawyers say the language is too vague to be enforced. These agreements also won’t keep…