Farmers require a huge amount of equally huge equipment to ensure our kitchens are stocked with fresh food every day. Most people rarely consider what it takes nor do they know the extreme expense invested in these machines. Hundreds of thousands of dollars go into farm equipment, with John Deere being among the largest manufacturers. John Deere and others have also invested significantly in modernizing their equipment and most of it is as technologically advanced as our cars, if not more. Computers, touchscreens, GPS locators, and more are commonplace among modern tractors, harvesters, and combines. Manufacturers have made lives easier for farmers in some ways while simultaneously making them more difficult in others.
When farmers buy equipment from John Deere, for example, they own the equipment but not the software that operates it. For that, they are granted a limited license only, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation. In the old days, if a farmer wanted to modify the diesel engine on a tractor, they were welcome to do whatever they wanted with no problem. But today, with software controlling nearly every function of that engine, only the manufacturer has the right to modify it at will. This forces farmers to rely on authorized dealers only to perform repairs and this practice has led to a backlash among farmers everywhere.
Bloomberg reports on how well-integrated software is in modern equipment to the point that not only does the computer keep everything in working order, it relays everything via the cloud to John Deere. If a farmer decides to repair something on their own, messages can be relayed back to Deere and a signal returned to render the machine inoperable until an authorized service provider intervenes. For farmers living in rural areas, this can mean transportation costs of thousands of dollars and long wait times at the dealership, costing them money every day the equipment is out of service. This issue is complex and merits in-depth discussion; it is a great example of a modern-day David and Goliath. Fortunately, bipartisan legislators at state and local levels are beginning to address the issue and legislation to safeguard our farmers is in the works, slowly making the rounds. Hopefully, our farmers can soon get back to focusing on what they do best: keeping us well fed.
