U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins discusses how President Donald Trump’s immigration insurance policies and tariffs are affecting America’s farmers on ‘Mornings with Maria.’
American farmers say they’re being squeezed not solely by rising prices but additionally by ongoing restrictions that forestall them from fixing their very own tools, leaving them caught with hefty payments and lengthy wait instances for repairs they might typically deal with on their very own.
Virginia farmer John Boyd Jr. instructed FOX Enterprise that when one in all his John Deere tractors has a diagnostic hassle code, displayed to point issues, his tools shuts down fully till a technician arrives. It might take weeks to schedule a service appointment, inflicting him to lose treasured time that might be spent within the area, he stated.
“We really need the right to repair our own equipment and access to technology to do so,” Boyd Jr., president of the Nationwide Black Farmers Affiliation, instructed Fox Enterprise. “Money is tight for farmers. … It would help cut through a lot of red tape.”
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Making the scenario extra irritating, he stated most of the points are easy fixes that farmers are able to dealing with themselves. They typically simply don’t have entry to the software program to diagnose and restore or can change into liable to voiding their guarantee in the event that they try to repair it themselves, in accordance with Boyd Jr.
Farmer John Boyd Jr. instructed FOX Enterprise that when one in all his tractors has a diagnostic hassle code, his tools will shut down fully till a technician arrives. (John Boyd Jr.)
Boyd Jr. additionally stated that tools service appointments can price as a lot as $1,000 — a large invoice for farmers which can be already combating rising prices of inputs like seed and fertilizer, he stated.
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Farmers face an estimated $3 billion in annual losses from tractor downtime and an extra $1.2 billion in extra restore prices on account of their reliance on dealerships for repairs, in accordance with a 2023 report from the U.S. Public Curiosity Analysis Group.
“I should not have to wait two weeks for a service technician to come out here and put a damn alternator on my tractor, which I have the skill set to do, and be put on a waiting list,” Boyd Jr. stated.
The corporate emblem of agricultural equipment tractor producer John Deere is displayed through the LAMMA Present 2025 at NEC Birmingham on January 15, 2025, in Birmingham, England. (John Keeble/Getty Pictures / Getty Pictures)
Boyd Jr. argued that if farmers purchase their agricultural tools however are unable to repair it themselves, it raises the query: who actually owns it — the farmer or the producer?
“We understand that it’s a business decision for them, but it’s also a business decision for us,” Boyd Jr. stated. “… We need America’s farmers, and we need support, especially in the troubling times and the months that are going to come to pass.”
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The Agricultural Proper to Restore Act, first launched in February 2022 by U.S. Senator Jon Tester, seeks to present farmers and unbiased restore retailers entry to mandatory diagnostic and restore instruments. In January, the Federal Commerce Fee filed a lawsuit towards Deere & Firm, accusing the producer of unfair practices that elevated restore prices for farmers whereas additionally stopping them from “the ability to make timely repairs on critical farming equipment.”
The Agricultural Proper to Restore Act, first launched within the 117th Senate, seeks to present farmers and unbiased restore retailers entry to mandatory diagnostic and restore instruments. (Hyoung Chang/The Denver Publish / Getty Pictures)
In July, John Deere launched its Operations Heart PRO Service, a subscription providing diagnostic and restore instruments, machine particulars and distant code entry. Pricing begins at $195 per machine yearly, with increased quantities for fleets and repair companies.
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In 2023, the American Farm Bureau Federation and John Deere additionally signed a memorandum of understanding to present farmers and unbiased mechanics better entry to restore instruments and data.
