Farm Bureau signs right to repair agreements with AGCO, Kubota
The American Farm Bureau Federation this week signed two more memoranda of understanding with two agricultural equipment manufacturers, AGCO and Kubota, providing farmers and ranchers the right to repair their own farm equipment.
The MOUs, which were negotiated independently with each manufacturer, follow similar agreements AFBF entered into with John Deere and CNH Industrial Brands earlier this year. Combined, the four MOUs cover roughly 70% of the agricultural machinery sold in the United States, Farm Bureau said.
“The American Farm Bureau Federation is pleased to announce new agreements with AGCO and Kubota,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “Farmers and ranchers urged us to find a private sector-solution to the challenges of repairing their own equipment. These agreements represent ongoing efforts to ensure farmers have access to the tools necessary to keep their equipment running, and to keep food on the table for families across America.”
AGCO Vice President of Customer Support Barry O’Shea said, “AGCO’s farmer-first focus guides us in everything we do, and we support farmers’ ability to repair the equipment they own. We are dedicated to being their most trusted partner for smart farming solutions, and this MOU with Farm Bureau is an outcome of that commitment. We appreciated the American Farm Bureau’s diligence, and we will continue delivering tools farmers can use to diagnose, maintain, and repair their AGCO machinery.”
Todd Stucke, senior vice president of marketing for Kubota Tractor Corp., said, “Kubota is pleased to join the AFBF in signing a memorandum of understanding to ensure our customers are empowered with the information and tools needed to safely maintain, diagnose and make repairs on their own equipment. Through our network of over 1,100 dealers, Kubota makes available the shop tools, parts, guides and manuals to owners who choose to work directly on their machines. We strive to ensure that our equipment is manufactured to the highest engineering standards to maximize performance for our customers, and this agreement is a good step toward further protecting their safety while operating, maintaining and repairing it.”
As part of the agreements, Farm Bureau has agreed not to support efforts to pass government mandates on right to repair.
