3 min read

Sen. Jeff Timberlake, R-Turner, represents District 17 in the Maine Senate. He is also the owner of Ricker Hill Orchards in Turner. 

I’ve spent most of my life growing apples in Maine, and one thing every farmer learns quickly is that when equipment breaks, the weather and the crop don’t wait for a repairman.

I also went to school for automotive technology and diesel mechanics. I’ve worked on tractors, trucks and farm equipment for decades, and I own computerized diagnostic equipment that allows me to troubleshoot today’s increasingly complicated machinery.

But having the knowledge and the tools doesn’t do much good if the manufacturer won’t give you access to the diagnostic codes, software and repair information you need.

That is why right to repair matters to me.

Farmers spend thousands, tens of thousands and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars on tractors, sprayers, harvesters and other equipment. It seems pretty simple: if I paid for it, I own it. And if I own it, I should have the right and the information necessary to repair it.

Maine voters overwhelmingly supported that principle for cars and trucks in the 2023 right-to-repair referendum. Farmers deserve the same freedom with the equipment we depend on to make a living.

A recent agreement made between John Deere and the federal government is an important step toward giving farmers greater access to the tools and information needed to repair their own equipment or choose an independent mechanic. Hopefully, other equipment manufacturers soon make similar agreements so that right to repair becomes the norm for all of the state’s farmers, regardless of what equipment provider they use.

This isn’t about putting equipment dealers out of business. Good dealerships and technicians are important to Maine agriculture, and there are plenty of repairs farmers will continue to rely on them to make.

It is about having a choice.

If my tractor or sprayer breaks during apple season and I have a narrow window before the rain comes, I may not have two days to wait for somebody to show up with a laptop. If I have the training, diagnostic equipment and ability to fix it myself, I should be able to plug into my own machine, find the problem and get back to work.

And this is about much more than apples.

Whether you grow potatoes, blueberries, vegetables or grain, milk cows, raise livestock, make hay or grow apples, downtime costs money. Maine farmers already face unpredictable weather, short growing seasons and rising costs for fuel, fertilizer, labor, equipment and nearly everything else we use.

We don’t need another obstacle standing between a farmer and getting the job done.

Maine agriculture is built largely around family farms and generations of people who learned to solve problems themselves. Give a Maine farmer the tools and information needed to fix something, and chances are he or she will figure out a way to get it running.

We should continue working to strengthen Maine agriculture, expand markets for our products and support policies that help family farms survive for another generation. Right to repair is part of that effort, and the same principle should apply across equipment manufacturers.

For me, it comes down to something very simple: I bought it. I own it. I should have the right to fix it.

And every Maine farmer deserves that same right.