Farmers Are Hacking Their Tractors Because of a Right to Repair Ban
As of 2020, no right to repair law has passed in the US. But more than 20 states are considering legislation similar to Nebraska's, and Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have both supported national right to repair legislation for farmers.
When it comes to repair, farmers have always been self-reliant. But the modernization of tractors and other farm equipment over the past few decades has left most farmers in the dust thanks to diagnostic software that large manufacturers hold a monopoly over.
In this episode of State of Repair, we go to Nebraska to talk to the farmers and mechanics who are fighting large manufacturers like John Deere for the right to access the diagnostic software they need to repair their tractors.
This video originally aired on Motherboard in 2018.
00:00 Intro
01:02 The Modernization of Tractors
05:34 How Farmers Deal with the Repair Ban
07:15 Turning Ordinary Farmers into Activists
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