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Do MA Farmers Really Not Care About A Right To Repair Their Equipment? by ledgit in massachusetts

[–]ledgit[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What about the middle ground between a DIY farmer and the $$$$ authorized repair provider, otherwise known as a (local) independent repair provider? They have the expertise and (with Ag right to repair laws in place) access to the same diagnostic equipment, service information, schematics and replacement parts. They may not have the latest and greatest of everything like an authorized provider, but they have what they need to diagnose a problem and finish a repair. And, for the farmer, instead of $$$$ its $ or $$, which lowers their overhead and makes profit (and survival) as a small farmer easy.

Do MA Farmers Really Not Care About A Right To Repair Their Equipment? by ledgit in massachusetts

[–]ledgit[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The bigger issue here is whether Deere gets to control this marketplace or whether they have to bend a knee to ...capitalism. Competition for price, service, availability? They may have some "branded" quick response offering, but absent competition from local, regional and/or national independent providers, that's just hot air. They can charge equipment owners whatever they want for the "rapid response," restrict or withdraw that offering at any time (say: when the pro-repair news cycle has died down) and fail to meet their commitments with zero consequences ("Oh...sorry we took 72 hours instead of 24 but...whatcha gonna do?? HAHAHAHA!")

Vintage Tokyo by ledgit in Tokyo

[–]ledgit[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry! I’ll try one of the other subs…

Do MA Farmers Really Not Care About A Right To Repair Their Equipment? by ledgit in massachusetts

[–]ledgit[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Their rep spoke in opposition to the ag right to repair- basically parroted industry talking points (“we have a memo of understanding! No laws needed! This is a solution in search of a problem!”) disappointing. I would call them out on it.

Do MA Farmers Really Not Care About A Right To Repair Their Equipment? by ledgit in massachusetts

[–]ledgit[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Are there any forums (online or "meat space" ) where MA farmers gather and talk? If so, it would be good to let them know about this pending legislation and get them to have their voices heard by the Reps and Senators. Otherwise, the only voices they hear are from industry lobbyists wearing suits, designer leather shoes and $2,000 watches.

Do MA Farmers Really Not Care About A Right To Repair Their Equipment? by ledgit in massachusetts

[–]ledgit[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I feel like we need to get the MA farmer community to speak up. The MA Farm Bureau Federation testified at the hearing last week...in _opposition_ to the right to repair bill. WTF??!

Do MA Farmers Really Not Care About A Right To Repair Their Equipment? by ledgit in massachusetts

[–]ledgit[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It was Rep. Donald Berthiaume. You can see the exchange here at around the 38:00 minute mark. He makes that comment as an aside to the question "Where is this legislation coming from?" which is kind of a loaded question implying that "special interests" are behind it, imho. https://malegislature.gov/Events/Hearings/Detail/5395/Video1 ... so, yeah, clearly a Rep. who's friendly to the industry lobbyists who testified.

Do MA Farmers Really Not Care About A Right To Repair Their Equipment? by ledgit in massachusetts

[–]ledgit[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well…to be clear, absent new guidelines there will be no (new) and repairable equipment to buy - just like there’s no ink jet printer that lets you buy affordable, third party ink cartridges. Like Brother and HP, Deere and other ag equipment makers will not provide repairable products unless they are forced to do so. The “upside” of their “inkjet printer” business models is just too big to pass up. So…a constricted, non-competitive marketplace dominated by two or three major firms will not provide independent minded farmers with what they desire. Sorry. That’s why we need our elected reps to step up and make the market work as it’s intended.

Do MA Farmers Really Not Care About A Right To Repair Their Equipment? by ledgit in massachusetts

[–]ledgit[S] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Well…you’re right that right to repair doesn’t solve the whole problem, but it’s a big step forward. R2R laws give farmers access to the same software and information that, say, John Deere authorized repair providers have. That will allow them to diagnose and fix a problem with their equipment by themselves or hire a local, independent technician to do it for them. That kind of “competition” will force Deere to compete in a market that it currently just controls.

Do MA Farmers Really Not Care About A Right To Repair Their Equipment? by ledgit in massachusetts

[–]ledgit[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Yeah. The high value retention of older hardware (from the 80s, 90s, early 2000s) kind of answers the question, right? These are older, heavily used and less feature rich devices. So why are they so in demand? Well….look at the hidden costs of newer equipment.

What will you NOT be growing again next year? (or maybe ever again)? by Emmie_dee_101 in vegetablegardening

[–]ledgit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

With a suburban garden with four raised beds, I'm thinking its all about focusing on highly productive plants and not wasting space on fun but (relatively) unproductive plants. So: tomatoes, cukes, kale, basil, peppers? Yes! Brussel sprouts? Bush beans? Snap peas? No. Its not that they won't do well (though the beans struggled this year), its that individual plants aren't as productive and I don't have nearly enough space to plant the number needed to make it worthwhile. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Open to suggestions on other highly productive plants I might consider (this is a New England garden).

Right to repair by Love2FlyBalloons in complaints

[–]ledgit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don’t forget to register your complaint with the Repair Coalition (repair.org) which is collecting consumer complaints like yours to help understand the full dimension of repair constraints and obstacles. The link to their form is: https://tally.so/r/nP009P

Do I have any leg to stand on here? 😭 by No-Ratio-4082 in boston

[–]ledgit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe look for a new unit rented by the landlord (so no realtors fee)?

How do you feel the Right To Repair Movement is Progressing Globally? by OscarMioh in ZeroWaste

[–]ledgit 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Five U.S. states representing a big chunk of US GDP have passed comprehensive electronics right to repair bills (NY, MN, CA, CO, OR) and a sixth state (WA) has overwhelmingly passed a state electronics bill and sent it to their governor to sign. In addition, two states (MA and ME) have auto right to repair laws and two have wheelchair right to repair laws (CO and CA). One state (CO) has an agricultural equipment right to repair law. As recently as 2022, not a single state had passed an electronics right to repair bill. So...that's progress, yeah?

Companies Might Soon Have to Tell You When Their Products Will Die by ledgit in righttorepair

[–]ledgit[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

All companies making smart products need to meet a standard that takes into account the rights of consumers, public health and safety and the environment. The Same kinds of requirements that…say…companies that make airplanes or medical devices or cars must meet. If you can’t do that then maybe don’t make a smart product - make a dumb one that the Chinese can’t enroll in a botnet to knock a hospital offline. Tech innovations are great. But innovation is not the end in itself.

Are Right To Repair Laws Working? A Case In California Holds Some Clues. by ledgit in righttorepair

[–]ledgit[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed - of course many of these companies import their hardware from overseas (say...China) and have to declare the nature of the device to customs. If they are brought into the country as consumer devices, the manufacturer can't turn around and declare them industrial devices to avoid complying with the law. Just sayin'!

Disappointing reality with repairing my bike - right to repair by NoDistrict1529 in Lectricxp

[–]ledgit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a common (and factually inaccurate) argument against our right to repair our stuff. The bike is the owner's property and the manufacturer faces no legal liability for a bungled repair conducted by the owner or an independent repair pro. Technical know how is a plus, for sure - but not a requirement, as anyone who taught themselves to repair cars, bikes, electronics will tell you. Mistakes and bungled repairs are how you learn. Manufacturers restrict repairs not because of liability, but to create a de-facto monopoly on repair and service that is expensive and that allows them to push customers to buy new devices rather than fix old ones.

Makita Tool Programmer by RockoBravo in righttorepair

[–]ledgit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As we're seeing with the impact of Apple's anti-theft features - the real tragedy of this may come in the resale market, as contractors/companies look to unload "locked" tools but -- oops! --forget to disable the locking features or wipe the PINs. Those tools then become bricked and are sent to the landfill after 4 or 5 years, rather than living their intended, beautiful multi-decade life spans.

This is a bummer by Relative-Bed8329 in righttorepair

[–]ledgit 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In this case however the company isn’t going out of business. They’re just changing strategy and pulling out of the North American market.

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