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R2R Meltdown … And A $900 Million Lawsuit against McDonald’s

When farmers and farm equipment dealers talk about right-to-repair (R2R), the conversations focus on tractors, sprayers and combines. But there are broader R2R concerns with cars, trucks, construction equipment and numerous machines used daily by both business owners and consumers.

We’re taking this moment – during national ice cream month, no less — to examine an unusual R2R fight going out there involving the Golden Arches and the non-workable soft-serve ice cream machines found in 13,509 U.S. McDonald’s fast-food outlets. 

As many customers know, there’s no difficulty in buying a burger and fries at McDonald’s (other than skyrocketing prices), but walking out with a soft-serve cone or shake is another story. The ice cream machines are broken so often that customers are told their ice cream order can’t be filled at all due to the downtime of the poorly serviced equipment. (Full disclosure, my son Mike and I walked out of a McDonald’s on a business trip in Michigan this week upon learning – to no surprise – that its shake machine was down.)

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How women saved agricultural economics and other ideas for why diversity matters | Jill J. McCluskey

Video: How women saved agricultural economics and other ideas for why diversity matters | Jill J. McCluskey

Dr. Jill J. McCluskey, Regents Professor at Washington State University and Director of the School of Economic Science

Dr. McCluskey documents that women entered agricultural economics in significant numbers starting in the 1980s, and their ranks have increased over time. She argues that women have increased the relevance in the field of agricultural economics through their diverse interests, perspectives, and experiences. In their research, women have expanded the field's treatment of non-traditional topics such as food safety and nutrition and environmental and natural resource economics. In this sense, women saved the Agricultural Economics profession from a future as a specialty narrowly focused on agricultural production and markets. McCluskey will go on to discuss some of her own story and how it has shaped some of her thinking and research. She will present her research on dual-career couples in academia, promotional achievement of women in both Economics and Agricultural Economics, and work-life support programs.

The Daryl F. Kraft Lecture is arranged by the Department of Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, with the support of the Solomon Sinclair Farm Management Institute, and in cooperation with the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences.