(Reprinted from MDP Rural Caucus)

Last Monday evening during the Rural Caucus Membership Meeting, statements were made regarding agricultural Right to Repair. The following summary reflects the recently announced settlement involving Deere & Company and the status of Michigan Senate Bill 302.

Deere & Company Right-to-Repair Settlement

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, as part of a coalition of five states and the Federal Trade Commission, secured a settlement with farm equipment manufacturer Deere & Company addressing allegations that Deere unlawfully limited the ability of farmers and independent repair providers to perform repairs on Deere farm equipment. For the next 10 years, the settlement requires Deere to provide farmers and independent repair providers with repair resources equivalent to those Deere provides to authorized dealers, including applicable software capabilities, on fair and reasonable terms.

What The Settlement Changes

·       Equal Access: Deere must make repair resources available to farmers and independent repair providers on terms comparable to those offered to authorized Deere dealers.

·       Core Capabilities: The required resources include the ability to read, clear, and reset electronic fault codes; reprogram or pair electronic components; restart machines after emissions-related shutdowns; and access technical manuals, troubleshooting guidance, and other repair information.

·       Oversight: The settlement is subject to FTC and plaintiff-state supervision for 10 years, with reporting and compliance obligations.

While this action is a step in the right direction for farmers, it applies only to Deere & Company and does not create a statewide right-to-repair framework covering other major agricultural equipment manufacturers such as Case IH, New Holland, AGCO/Massey Ferguson, or Kubota.

SB 302 (2025-2025 Session)

Sponsor: Introduced by Senator Sue Shink (D-Northfield Twp.) with co-sponsors including Senator Edward W. McBroom (R).

I was involved in the effort last year to get this legislation reintroduced.

Topic: Trade and business regulation regarding Right to Repair for agricultural equipment.

Purpose: Creates the Agricultural Equipment Repair Act, which would require certain original equipment manufacturers and authorized repair providers of agricultural equipment to make diagnostic, maintenance, and repair parts, tools, and documentation available to equipment owners and independent repair providers.

Status: Introduced on May 13, 2025, and referred the same day to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture, where no further action is shown in the official bill history.

Reprinted with permission from Joseph Gutowski, Chair, MDP Rural Caucus.