California farm lobby's sellout to John Deere will cost its members their right to repair

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/09/20/sold-out-by-cfb.html

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Forget John Deere, let’s start rooting for these guys!!!

https://www.opensourceecology.org

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If you can’t fix it you don’t own it!

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Huh, and I thought California was supposed to be a bunch of leftist socialists that thwarted corporations at every turn.

I guess the world is more complicated than that.

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California has not dealt with the invasive species known as “lobbyists”, nor have we successfully legislated against the pollution known as “greed”. Still, John Deere should expect a “Dear John” letter from farmers very soon. Sheer practicality demands the right to repair; farmers do not have time to wait three to six weeks for a slot in a Deere-licensed garage when their equipment breaks down in the middle of the season. Or in the middle of the field, or both.

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The Farm Bureau is an ultra-conservative farm advocacy group that denies climate change and otherwise promotes conservative political candidates and an agenda that goes far beyond advocating for farmers. That they’d jump into bed with some deep pockets business lobby is hardly surprising.

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the California Farm Bureau

As with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, another lobbying organisation for big corporations that titles itself to let everyone believe it’s an official agency of the government.

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That is truly weird, because I have known farmers who are Clinton-hating teeth-gnashing conservatives, but they know their livelihood depends on the environment. The cognitive dissonance doesn’t even faze them.

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Many of them live in isolated and homogeneous (geographically, culturally, socially, etc.) communities in constant fear that the “government” and “liberals” are going to come along, tell them what they can and can’t do on and with their land and thus destroy their livelihood and way of life. The Farm Bureau comes along and tells them that for the low, low price of $60/year they can help keep that from happening. All this talk of climate change and environmental depredation is nonsense and will just cost you money. You know what’s best for you and your land and business.

Oh, and free coffee and donuts at the monthly meetings.

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That’s not the farmers I knew. They were actually activists when it came to soil and water conservation, and quite sober about climate change. But they also thought the very small nearby city was nothing but black people shooting each other.

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California farmers are not liberal. The rural, agricultural areas of the state consistently vote red. Also, they are not immune to voting against their own interests. They will pick business over regulation every time, even when it hurts them.

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And liberals are not leftists.

Overall Californian politics appear to be largely controlled by the establishment Democratic party. Pelosi, Feinstein, etc. Who are liberal, but not left.

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That be true!

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A question arises, why farmers have to but locked down tractors, and they don’t start to actively seeking less problematic brands? I suppose that checks of roadworthiness of a tractor should be mandated to the state and if a farmer drives a tractor with a missing exaust pipe or reprogrammed the ECU to get more power should be fined, but I think that these are things that the government is paid for.

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Conservatives getting screwed over by their own policies?

for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

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OK, so this is not state law? But an agreement between a conservative trade organization and John Deere? How is that binding on all farmers in the state?

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An answer to your comment. The farmers of California are being forced by the ARB to buy these new problematic tractors, engine powered equipment and engines.

Would you mind defining ‘ARB’? Wikipedia is less than helpful.

I think @Anorthstatefarmer is referring to the (California) Air Resource Board, which is CA’s EPA.

Are they being forced to buy John Deere? I think I’d need a citation because I’m sure that other new tractor manufacturers have the same CA air quality/emissions standards as John Deere. (Note: It’s been many years since I attended the International Farm Show in Tulare, CA, but I do remember tractors from different manufacturers being sold to the local farmers.)

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You have to understand the gravity of the agenda at play here.
This will boil over into all electronics.
So if everything is running software from your car to your refrigerator, this will impact and redifine what it means to own… anything.

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