By Bianca Flowers and Kevin Mohatt
(Reuters) - Colorado's governor signed the nation's first right to repair legislation into law on Tuesday, giving the state's farmers and ranchers the autonomy to fix their own equipment.
The bill, which requires manufacturers such as Deere (NYSE:DE) & 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 like Deere and rival CNH Industrial (NYSE:CNHI), which owns the Case IH brand, 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.