A recent settlement between the Federal Trade Commission and John Deere defends the right of farmers to repair their own farm equipment. Although farmers have been repairing their own tools since the invention of agriculture, corporations such as John Deere identified this self-sufficiency as an obstacle to a continuous profit stream.
As farm equipment became more complex and computerized in the last few decades, repairs could no longer be completed with a simple wrench. By limiting access to diagnostic software and proprietary parts, corporations were able to set their own prices on the cost of repairs, as well as ensure ongoing revenue throughout the life of the product. Despite already controlling over 50% of the multibillion dollar U.S. agricultural equipment market, John Deere has been fighting farmers and unions for years to control this aftermarket repair monopoly. This is just one example of how capitalism steers corporations to exhaust every possible avenue to maximize profit, regardless of the consequences.
Farmers have been organizing against these repair restrictions so they could get their machinery back up and running themselves, or by using their own local, independent mechanics rather than expensive authorized dealers. Crops often need to be harvested in a short timeframe, and farmers risk missing this window while waiting weeks for a dealer-authorized technician to show up with a computer. Under the FTC settlement, farmers and independent shops will have access to the same repair resources that were previously restricted to John Deere dealerships.
The “Right to Repair” movement has gained momentum across industries from automotive, to cell phones, to wheelchairs. By locking consumers out of the tools needed for repairs, corporations can count on products breaking down as part of their business model. Meanwhile, everyday people are not only forced into expensive repairs, but are stripped of the ability to troubleshoot, learn, and develop mechanical skills that previous generations shared amongst families and neighbors.
Capitalism will always drive corporations to find new ways to generate profit, regardless of the cost in lost food crops, the environmental cost of throwaway electronics, or the human cost to stranded wheelchair users. Although we support farmers in this settlement against John Deere, we know the bigger struggle is to end this whole capitalist system that will stop at nothing to profit off of us.
