LEGISLATION
THE STATE OF LEGISLATION
Understand the intersection of technology, policy and agriculture issues at the state level.
BY LUKE REYNOLDS A
s state legislatures convene across the country, issues affecting the agricultural community are at the forefront of state legislative
agendas. From land ownership to innovation and safety in the industry, this year’s legislative landscape will affect critical aspects of agricultural practices.
The right to repair The right-to-repair movement, built around the concept that consumers and independent repair businesses should have equal access to manufacturer materials for equipment repair, has gained momentum across various sectors, including the agriculture and irrigation industries, advocating for consumers’ ability to fix their own equipment without facing legal or technical barriers, according to the Repair Association, New York. This movement has found a significant battleground in agriculture, where some farmers seek autonomy over repairing their machinery.
Efforts to enact right-to-repair legislation have spanned industries beyond agriculture and included consumer
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electronics, health care equipment and medical devices. Critics of bills supporting the right to repair, such as Apple, argue that allowing consumers or repair businesses to work with proprietary parts could pose safety concerns for individuals undertaking repairs on complex equipment without the proper training.
According to Nathan Bowen, Irrigation Association, Fairfax, Virginia, advocacy and public affairs vice president, this is also true of agricultural equipment where the sophisticated nature of modern farming machinery, which often includes advanced technology, high-voltage electronics and software, raises the risk of accidents and malfunctions if not handled by trained professionals.
“After acknowledging the legitimate concerns around safety and the complexity of modern agricultural machinery, it’s important that any pathway that increases farmers’ ability to maintain and repair their own equipment, doesn’t compromise safety, regulatory compliance or manufacturers’ intellectual property,” says Bowen. “Our goal is to
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