Biden executive order to give farmers more clout in livestock negotiations, right to repair farming equipment

"President Joe Biden wants to give U.S. farmers more power in negotiating the sale of livestock to big processors and in deciding who repairs their tractors, the White House said on Tuesday," David Shepardson and Diane Bartz report for Reuters. "The executive order, expected within days . . . would encourage the Federal Trade Commission to limit the ability of farm-equipment manufacturers to prevent tractor owners from using independent repair shops or repairing their own equipment."

Right-to-repair legislation has been long-coveted by farming advocates, and in 2020 was a policy goal for both the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Democratic Party.

Farmers have grown increasingly exasperated at the proprietary software on tractors and other large farming equipment that leaves them unable to make even simple repairs. Instead, a dealership must access the machine and diagnose the problem—often costing farmers extra time and money. Many farmers have resorted to hacking their tractors with black-market software, or buying tractors made in the 1970s and 1980s that can be repaired locally.

A John Deere representative said the company doesn't support right-to-repair laws because they could be unsafe for farmers, reduce engine performance, and make machinery noncompliant with emissions standards, Shepardson and Bartz report. The representative also said that farmers can make most repairs easily, and that less than 2 percent of all repairs to its machinery require a software update.

"Separately, Biden plans to direct the USDA to write rules to boost competition in agricultural industries, including one under the Packers and Stockyards Act making it easier for farmers to bring claims, the White House said," Shepardson and Bartz report. "There will also be anti-retaliation protections for farmers who raise concerns about bad practices."

The four major meat processors in the U.S., Cargill, JBS, Tyson Foods and National Beef, are under investigation for allegedly colluding to boost beef prices while livestock farmers barely profited.