Sept. 14, 2020
Who has the right to repair farming equipment? Webinar addresses Right to Repair statutes
By Sarah Cato
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast facts:
- Webinar hosted by the National Agricultural Law Center will discuss Right to Repair statutes
- Webinar is September 16 at noon to 1 p.m. EDT
- Register online at: https://bit.ly/3bDiZL7
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Advanced technology has brought farmers modern-day tools to assist in increasing yield and decreasing costs. However, as farm machinery becomes more advanced, legal questions arise as to a farmer’s ability to perform routine maintenance and other repairs on their equipment.
Much of the advanced technology embedded in today’s farm equipment can only be repaired and issues can only be diagnosed through copyrighted software that is not available to customers without going through a licensed technician. Because of this limitation, farmers and independent repair shops are unable to work on much of the equipment which can be an issue when farmers need timely repairs to get back into the fields.
“The movement to enact Right to Repair statutes has been pursued as a means to ensure that agricultural producers have certain rights and legal protections to repair their equipment,” said Ross Pifer, Director of the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law. “If passed, these statutes would not only allow farmers to repair their own equipment, but give them the ability to take their machinery to a repair shop of their choice. On the other side of the issue, concerns have been raised that Right to Repair Statutes will lead to key safety or environmental protection features being disabled – intentionally or unintentionally – on today’s highly technical agricultural equipment.”
Pifer will discuss Right to Repair statutes in a free webinar hosted by the National Agricultural Law Center on September 16 at noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT. Pifer’s presentation will provide an overview of these statutes, discuss the current status of legislation and legislative proposals in various states, and review the core components or the proposals that have been considered.
“Right the Repair, along with questions on agricultural data, are just a few of the legal issues arising due to the adaptation of agricultural technology,” said Harrison Pittman, Director of the NALC. “Understanding the issue at hand is the first step in developing a solution, which is why we’ve invited Ross to speak on this topic.”
Those interested can register free of charge here: https://bit.ly/3bDiZL7.
For more information on the National Agricultural Law Center, visit https://nationalaglawcenter.org/ or follow @Nataglaw on Twitter.
About the National Agricultural Law Center
The National Agricultural Law Center serves as the nation’s leading source of agricultural and food law research and information. The Center works with producers, state and federal policymakers, Congressional staffers, attorneys, land grant universities, and many others to provide objective, nonpartisan agricultural and food law research and information to the nation’s agricultural community.
The Center is a unit of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and works in close partnership with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Agricultural Library.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact 479-575-4607 as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
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Media Contact: Sarah Cato
National Agricultural Law Center
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
870-815-9035
sscato@uark.edu