MEBANE, N.C. — For over 70 years, Michael McPherson’s family has farmed.
What You Need To Know
Right now, farmers can only get certain equipment fixed by certain dealers
The issue is known as "Right To Repair"
The General Assembly worked on legislation in the short session, but decided to continue to study the issue
His grandfather started as a dairy farmer, and Michael and his wife now farm corn and soybean.
To get the crops from seed to harvest, it takes a lot of equipment.
“We’ve got tractors. We’ve got combines, sprayers, even gators that we use around the farm all the time,” McPherson said. “So yeah, we keep a lot of equipment around here, and it’s a lot to keep up, a lot of maintenance.”
To be successful, farmers need that equipment to work.
When something breaks, the fix needs to happen quickly because the work doesn’t wait.
The current state of affairs, however, doesn’t always allow for quick.
“For example, right now I’ve got a truck that I had to put in the shop last week for some warranty work. You know I take it up there, they read the codes. They tell me it’s a sensor, but they don't know when they’re going to have time to work on it.”
When it comes to farm equipment, manufacturers hold a lot of power.
Through the dealerships, they’re the ones with the ability and computer programs to fix certain high tech equipment.
The North Carolina General Assembly looked at what is known as “Right To Repair” legislation during the short session, but ultimately decided to continue to study the issue.
For now, many farmers are reliant on a few repairers, which is one reason McPherson doesn’t jump at the chance to get the latest equipment.
“If I’m out here working on a Saturday afternoon and something breaks down, I can call the guy right up the road who does mechanic work, and he’ll be there," McPherson said. "Usually a dealership’s not necessarily going to do that, or if they do the charge is going to be tremendous. We like to have that option. That’s one of the reasons we try to run a little bit older equipment.”
Even though it can be frustrating waiting for change to come, he’s understanding about it.
McPherson says he wants the legislation to be done the right way the first time, because at the end of the day, in farming, time is money.
“When these crops are ready to harvest, we’re up against all kinds of time restraints. The next rain may come and get you out of the fields. So when we can run, we need to run," McPherson said.
When the General Assembly was working on the legislation, dealers came to the legislature and spoke about how the legislation would hurt their businesses.