By Jesse Bedayn
Colorado became the first state Tuesday to ensure farmers can fix their own equipment with the governor’s signing of a “right to repair” law, which forces manufacturers to provide the necessary manuals, tools, parts and software.
Colorado, a state partly blanketed in ranches and farmland, took the lead on the issue following a nationwide outcry from farmers that manufacturers prevent them from fixing their own machines — from behemoth combines to thin tractors — when they break down. Farmers say it forces them to wait precious days for a servicer to arrive, a delay that could mean a hail storm decimates a crop or a farmer misses the ideal planting window.
Lawmakers in at least 10 other states have introduced similar legislation, including in Florida, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Texas and Vermont.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, signed the bill Tuesday afternoon, after the legislation advanced through long committee hearings, having been propelled forward mostly by Democrats even though a Republican lawmaker cosponsored the bill.
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