OSU expert: 'Right-to-repair' laws would benefit OH farmers

By Nadia Ramlagan

Intellectual property rights are preventing farmers from repairing their own equipment, and experts say it's introducing real financial strain.

At a time when the Iran war has sent fertilizer costs skyrocketing, seeking out expensive, specialized repairs is another burden on already struggling rural farmers. The issue is further complicated by potential loan obligations on the equipment.

Peggy Kirk Hall, director of Ohio State University’s Agricultural and Resource Law Program, said patents and other legal documents are largely to blame.

"There have been efforts by the companies to retain those rights over repair of that equipment," she said, "and to make it, in the end, more difficult for farmers to do the repairs themselves."

"Right-to-repair" bills have been introduced in all 50 states. The American Farm Bureau Federation has established memoranda of understanding with some companies that, in certain cases, do provide access to diagnostic codes and related information needed for repairs.

Hall said that move has appeared to chill legislative activity on the issue. She added that when farmers have to wait on company technicians, it can slow down operations, adding another uphill battle to an already overwhelmed agricultural sector. She said farms are facing difficulties from every angle.

"So a couple of different stresses that equipment can add to the overall stress that we're feeling right now in agriculture," she said. "It’s a difficult time, between fertilizer, between land values, between market issues."

Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency clarified that farm equipment repairs for diagnostic purposes do not violate the Clean Air Act, which could ease some restrictions.