07-10-2016, 06:33 PM
7-10-2016
Farmers lobbying for the right to fix own tractors
Mick Minchow's tractors are marvels of modern machinery.
They have air conditioning, guidance systems, satellite radio and more sensors than he can shake a corn cob at, all kept running by computer systems and software.
But there's one thing the Waverly farmer doesn't have: the right to fix his John Deere 8235 R if it goes on the fritz.
Gone are the days when farmers could be their own mechanics. Just taking a peek under the metaphorical hood of the computers that run the big tractor could put Minchow in violation of the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Farmers lobbying for the right to fix own tractors
Mick Minchow's tractors are marvels of modern machinery.
They have air conditioning, guidance systems, satellite radio and more sensors than he can shake a corn cob at, all kept running by computer systems and software.
But there's one thing the Waverly farmer doesn't have: the right to fix his John Deere 8235 R if it goes on the fritz.
Gone are the days when farmers could be their own mechanics. Just taking a peek under the metaphorical hood of the computers that run the big tractor could put Minchow in violation of the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
