Farmers push for right to fix their own equipment

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday reaffirmed its position that farmers and private mechanics can work on farm equipment without violating environmental laws.

So, it’s legal to fix a tractor or combine? If that sounds like it should be obvious, some context may help: The EPA announcement is linked to a long-running turf war between equipment manufacturers who want to limit access to their machinery and farmers and diesel mechanics who want free-market services.

The EPA clarification came in response to a request from John Deere last June. The tractor company wants to ensure it won’t be held liable if it allows buyers and independent repair technicians the capability to reset engines to full power after fixing equipment that is automatically limited to idle speed or shut down after emissions violations.

This wasn’t the first time the environmental agency has opined on the topic. The Biden-era EPA in 2023 clarified in a response to the National Farmers Union that the Clean Air Act, first passed in 1970, doesn’t restrict who can make repairs. The agency also noted Congress intended to prevent manufacturers from steering work away from independent technicians.

“I don’t think the recent EPA action really plowed any new ground,” said Ross Pifer, director of the Penn State Dickinson Law Center for Agricultural and Shale Law. “The fact that the EPA took this action indicates that there is at least some desire to keep this issue kind of on the front burner.”

The “right to repair” fight is playing out not just with farm equipment but automobiles, computers, smartphones, and even consumer electronics. In the agriculture sector—to farmers’ chagrin—manufacturers have for years used licensing agreements to limit access to their increasingly computerized equipment and repair tools. The companies want to protect their proprietary information while also earning profits from maintaining complicated machinery. But farmers want the freedom to fix what they own.

“We just want access if something goes wrong,” said Gary Wertish, president of the Minnesota Farmers Union and a third-generation cattle farmer. “The farmer buys that equipment, spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on the equipment, then he’s held captive.”

John Deere and other manufacturers have maintained the Clean Air Act’s prohibition on tampering with parts that control emissions means they could be on the hook if customers and independent repair technicians use manufacturer-provided tools or information to temporarily disable or repair emissions-related controls.

“This letter from EPA makes it abundantly clear that Deere isn’t going to be liable in that situation,” said Pifer.

Farmers have complained that having to rely solely on manufacturer-approved technicians increases their operating costs and results in hours or days of downtime while waiting for service, especially as dealerships have consolidated and reduced their presence in smaller communities.

“It can sometimes be something very simple, and if the farmer had access to the software, he could do it and get the machine running again,” Wertish said. “Right now, if some software goes haywire, it pretty much shuts the machine down and then you’re stuck. In the spring and fall, time is money.”

John Deere officials said through a news release they appreciated the latest EPA guidance and will soon make tools available to temporarily override emissions systems. They also state on their website they have previously made other tools and manuals available while safeguarding proprietary software.

Equipment manufacturers favor voluntary agreements, instead of legislation or lawsuits, as a way to be responsive to complaints while protecting their intellectual property rights. The American Farm Bureau Federation negotiated an agreement in 2023 with the majority of the manufacturers to give farmers access to error codes, specialty tools, and information to fix mechanicals problems without going through dealerships.

“It was just a PR stunt,” Wertish said. “That really hasn’t had any benefit because the farmers still do not have access.”

The nonbinding memorandum of understanding with the farm bureau also didn’t stave off lawsuits. The Federal Trade Commission joined with the states of Minnesota and Illinois in suing John Deere in January 2025, alleging the company’s actions inflate farmers’ repair costs, degrade their ability to make timely repairs, and violate federal and state antitrust laws. A federal judge in Illinois denied Deere’s request in June to dismiss the case.

Legislative bills that would let owners choose who does repairs and have access to parts, manuals, diagnostics software, and repair tools have been introduced in every state. More than half a dozen states have enacted right-to-repair laws since 2012. Competition, according to advocates, will lead to better service and more reasonable prices.

“I think the most important developments are at the state level, when individual states pass legislation that impose specific requirements,” said Pifer, who researches agricultural and environmental laws. “As the number of states that act increases, and if the requirements in those states start to diverge from one another, then there may be more pressure on Congress to say we need to have uniform standards, rather than having kind of a hodgepodge of different requirements in different states.”

On Thursday, Democratic lawmakers in Congress introduced the Fair Repair Act, legislation that would require manufacturers to make diagnostic and repair information, parts, and tools available to owners and repairers.

Wertish has turned daily operations of the 500-acre farm in southwestern Minnesota to his son. He remembers, however, the tense seasons when farmers begin planting crops while hoping their equipment keeps working.

“If you’re trying to plant your crop, harvest your crop, and the rain is coming and you’re sitting there, it can be very frustrating,” Wertish said. “If you can’t get your crop planted or harvested on time, it can make a big difference to the bottom line. Right now the farm finances are so tight, the majority of the farmers will be showing a loss this coming year.”