For example, near my town, a German-made NEXAT transformer unit is working in the fields. It’s a massive ‘all-in-one’ machine that handles every step in crop production: spring cultivation, seeding, crop protection and harvesting–and one of only a few in the world.

While this is the cutting edge, you’ll also find many farms with equipment that would be familiar to Canadian farmers: huge powerful tractors and combines, super-technological 24-row planters, self-propelled sprayers and many other modern agricultural machinery.

But in the nearby machine yard of the farm, just in case, there are old, rusted agricultural machines, some of which probably saw the Caribbean Crisis (as we call the Cuban Missile Crisis).

Thrifty

The Ukrainian peasant is very reluctant to get rid of old things. Based on habits inherited from distant ancestors, he or she believes that they can still be useful. Personally, I also have this habit hidden somewhere deep inside me. I, without understanding why, carefully keep at home giant chains for cattle, antlers for putting pots in the oven, rockers for buckets, and even a flail with which my ancestors threshed grain.

Farmers who cultivate relatively small tracts of land, by Ukrainian standards, still use old equipment. When you see such “veterans” in the field or on the road, you generally wonder how such equipment can be started and driven. People don’t want to spend money (or don’t have money to spend) on new agricultural machines.

The technical arsenal of farmers who cultivate small acreages is extremely varied. They have small tillers to which trailers are attached, and tiny, sometimes homemade, tractors. Sometimes you can even see a small field being plowed with the help of horses. We still have horse-drawn carts, although this is rare. In my town, there is only one horse left. My friend keeps him at home as a pet. In his youth, my friend worked at a stable and retained his love for horses.

Limping along

The villagers repair all this old agricultural machinery on their own and look for spare parts for it from old stocks. Thanks to this, we still have many people who can fix tractors, trucks, motorcycles, and anything else. Hundreds and thousands of small repair enterprises operate throughout Ukraine, mostly on the farms. Some of them can also create new designs: harrows, cultivators, liquid fertilizer barrels, and trailers.

It might seem like a primitive thing, tied to the past, but in 2014 when Crimea was invaded by Russia, it showed that such a network was valuable and needed.

At the time Ukraine had thousands of units of military equipment, but most of it was in storage and in bad condition. Military trucks, tractors, and infantry fighting vehicles all needed repair. Farmers helped restore them. No one forced them to do this. Farmers repaired military vehicles with their own money, and also provided their own machinery–trucks, excavators, even tractors.

The start of a full-scale war in 2022 raised new challenges for Ukrainian society.

On the one hand, we urgently need high-precision weapons–anti-aircraft defense, long-range missiles, modern tanks, airplanes and helicopters. This allows you to effectively destroy the enemy, minimizing the loss of your soldiers. But on the other hand, war is not a movie in which your army wins beautifully. It is constant exhausting work, it is fatigue, it is blood and sweat–and also countless small stories.

Basic needs

You need to bring food, ammunition and various equipment to the soldiers. You need to evacuate the wounded from the battlefield, transport fuel, and transport soldiers closer to the front line. You must transport goods across the country, build fortifications, demine fields and roads–many, many things. The success of your country’s defense against the enemy largely depends on how successfully you deal with these logistical and economic challenges. And so depends your life and the lives of those you care for.

That is why many Ukrainians voluntarily gave money to purchase cars for the army–jeeps, trucks, minibuses, and also various engineering equipment. This is the lifeblood of the country’s defense system. Over the past 20 months, hundreds of thousands of vehicles have passed through the crucible of war. A significant part of them have then turned into scrap metal, having fulfilled their main mission–to help save human lives.

It is difficult to imagine from which hiding places Ukrainian volunteers pull out these vehicles from all over Europe. Most often, these are old SUVs that need repair. They can be purchased for a few dollars, then repaired and sent to the front. The duration of the life of such cars can wildly varied. Sometimes it literally takes two or three hours, because the car can immediately come under fire or hit a mine and be destroyed.

Then there’s the kind of work the vehicles do, mostly near the front line. Military, unofficial volunteers, medics, they all drive through mud and over hills, often at breakneck speed because even a moment’s delay can cost lives. Having a reliable jeep can frequently be more important than even a tank.

Deep support

Every time I talk to another Ukrainian farmer, I know that when I ask how they are supporting the army, they will respond they have transferred several trucks from their company to our defenders. This is a sign of good morale and Ukrainian farmers consider it their duty. Most of them are not limited to this. They actively look for and then buy cars abroad: pickup trucks, jeeps, minibuses, trucks, that is, everything that can drive in extreme conditions.

In addition, some farmers independently make small buggies for the military, using spare parts from old cars. These designs can be quite interesting, but so far they are still few and far between.

Sometimes cars that have been in the war drive into our relatively peaceful town. They have a shocking appearance. They are riddled with shell fragments and have holes from automatic bullets. They can be so dirty that it is not clear what colour they are. But external beauty is not the main thing for them. These are cars that save human life.

Internal sources

In the 1990s, mass production of domestic vehicles neared extinction in Ukraine, a loss we our feeling deeply now. Our factories produced simple cars and trucks, which were not distinguished by reliability, but they were cheap and easy to repair.

As the experience of the war has shown, now we could really use tens of thousands of domestically produced mini SUVs and any trucks that could meet the needs of the army. It is better than looking for old cars of different models from all over the world.

I can say the same about the national production of agricultural machinery. Although our farmers are already used to the machinery of the best global brands, it is very good that Ukraine produces its own planters, cultivators, sprayers and other agricultural machinery. During the war, it makes it possible to continue to purchase and repair machines for work in the field.

Globalization may work in times of peace, but during times of war a country wants to have the factories that produce those things.

— Ihor Pavliuk is a Ukrainian agricultural journalist.

Updated Nov. 15 – more photos added.

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The bill, which requires manufacturers such as Deere and Co. to provide manuals for diagnostic software and other aids, garnered bipartisan support as farmers grew increasingly frustrated with costly repairs and inflated input prices denting their profits.

With a Case IH red tractor displayed outside the state Capitol in Denver, Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, signed the Consumer Right to Repair Agriculture Equipment Act.

“I am proud to sign this important bipartisan legislation that saves hardworking farmers and ranchers time and money on repairs, and supports Colorado’s thriving agriculture industry,” he said in an emailed statement. “This is a common-sense bipartisan bill to help people avoid unnecessary delays from equipment repairs.”

The legislation passed on a 46-14 vote in Colorado’s Senate earlier this month.

Once the law goes into effect on Jan. 1, farm machinery manufacturers such as Deere and rival CNH Industrial, which owns the Case IH and New Holland brands, will have to provide farmers with diagnostic tools, software and documents. Independent technicians will also be able to access similar resources.

Deere has said it believes the legislation is unnecessary and will carry unintended consequences. CNH did not respond to request for comment.

Right-to-repair legislation is gaining momentum across the country as lawmakers in 16 states have introduced bills, according to a report by the Public Interest Research Group, an advocacy organization.

Colorado farmer Daniel Waldvogle, who was present for the bill’s signing, hopes that right to repair will be a key issue for the next U.S. Farm Bill under discussion in Washington.

“Creating more fair market access through right to repair is one of the items that we hope will be included,” he said.

— Reporting for Reuters by Bianca Flowers in Chicago and Kevin Mohatt in Denver.

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The Consumer Right to Repair Agriculture Equipment Act passed 46-14 in Colorado’s Senate late on Tuesday, after winning approval in the state House of Representatives in February. The bill garnered bipartisan support as farmers grew increasingly frustrated with costly repairs and inflated input prices denting their profits.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has 10 days to sign the bill into law and he is expected to do so, according to a spokesperson.

Equipment makers have generally required customers to use their authorized dealers for repairs to machines like combines and tractors.

Colorado’s legislation would mandate farm machinery manufacturers such as Deere and rival CNH to provide farmers with diagnostic tools, software documents, and repair manuals starting Jan. 1. Similar resources must be made available to independent technicians.

MORE READING:

• No clear-cut fix in right to repair debate
• NDP proposes ‘right to repair’ bill for farm equipment, vehicles

A spokesperson for Deere and Co. responded to the passage of the bill, saying that it support farmers’ right to repair but believes the legislation is “unnecessary and will carry unintended consequences.”

Equipment makers worry the legislation may allow farmers to override certain safety systems or emissions controls, said Eric Wareham, a North American Equipment Dealers Association vice-president.

State Representative Brianna Titone, a Democrat who sponsored the legislation, predicted other states will follow suit.

“If there are no lawsuits or collapse of the industry, it demonstrates that the law is not going to cause chaos like many opponents think it will,” Titone said.

Lawmakers amended the bill to include language that farmers and repair shops will not be authorized “to make modifications” to functions related to security or emissions.

State lawmakers are pushing right-to-repair legislation even though Deere and CNH signed a memorandum of understanding with the American Farm Bureau Federation to allow farmers to fix their equipment or go to a third-party repair shop.

The agreement does not give farmers total access for repairs, said Kevin O’Reilly, director for the campaign of right to repair at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

— Bianca Flowers is a Reuters correspondent covering the U.S. manufacturing sector from Chicago.

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As the agriculture sector accelerates its adoption of technology, the reliance on high-tech machinery such as GPS-guided combines and tractors has become more commonplace.

But equipment makers such as Deere have generally required customers to use their parts and service divisions for repairs and until recently, only allowed authorized dealers the means and tools to access the complex computerized systems of their tractors and other machinery.

The Farm Bureau’s memorandum of understanding with Deere “will ensure farmers everywhere are able to repair our own equipment,” Farm Bureau president Zippy Duvall said, speaking at the federation’s convention in Puerto Rico.

“This will enable you and your independent mechanics to identify and fix problems,” he said. “You will have access to the diagnostic tools and information you need. And you’ll get it at a fair and reasonable price.”

Dave Gilmore, Deere’s vice-president of ag and turf marketing, said the company looks forward to working with the farm group and “our customers in the months and years ahead to ensure farmers continue to have the tools and resources to diagnose, maintain and repair their equipment.”

The MOU aims to find a solution to the “right to repair” debate in the private sector, rather than through legislation or regulation, according to the document. It benefits farmers and independent repair facilities in the United States and Puerto Rico, for the “lawful operation and upkeep of Agricultural Equipment,” the MOU states.

The MOU states that, among other things, equipment owners and independent technicians cannot compromise any safety measures and protocols on the equipment; that Deere’s intellectual property, including its software, are protected from infringement; and no federal and state emissions control requirements can be compromised because of modifications made to the machinery.

The “right-to-repair” movement has gained steam as input costs have surged in recent years — as has the price of repairs.

For Deere and rival equipment manufacturers such as CNH and Agco, repairing machinery has given them a solid boost for their parts and services business. Consumers have filed a slew of lawsuits against Deere over the issue, and the Biden administration has been pushing for more competition in the rural economy amid rising inflation.

Duvall said Farm Bureau officials will meet regularly with Deere to discuss “solutions to the challenges farmers are facing in repairing their equipment” and said he hoped other farm equipment makers would take similar steps.

— P.J. Huffstutter reports on agriculture and agribusiness for Reuters from Chicago.

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