American farmers aren’t allowed to fix their own machines
Listen to the story (Canadian accent)
Farmers in America have a problem. They cannot fix their own farm machines.
A farmer named John Boyd Jr. has a tractor. When his tractor has a small problem, it stops working. He must wait for a person to fix it. Sometimes, he waits for two weeks. He cannot work without his tractor, so he loses time.
Boyd Jr. says the problems are small and easy to fix. But farmers cannot get special computer programs for repairs. If they try to fix it, their warranty is cancelled.
It can cost $1,000 for a repair person to visit. This is a lot of money for farmers.
In 2022, people talked about making a new law. It is called the Agricultural Right to Repair Act. This law wants to let farmers fix their own machines.
John Deere is a farm machine company. It started a new program called Operations Center PRO Service. The program helps farmers with computer programs and tools.
A person from John Deere said the company wants to help farmers.
Vocabulary12 words
- Farmer
- a person who owns, manages or works on a farm; 🧑🌾
- Fix
- repair; to make something work again or be better
- Farm
- the land where a farmer works; a place where vegetables and plants are grown; a place with animals like cows, chickens and goats; 🧑🌾
- Name
- To give something/someone a name
- Tractor
- A big machine like a truck used on a farm to pull or move things
- Program
- software/application on a computer; a tool on a computer
- Repair
- The act of fixing something; to fix something; 🛠️
- Warranty
- A promise from a company to fix a product for free if it breaks
- Repair person
- A person who fixes things; a person who repairs things
- Law
- a rule, regulation, or guideline set by the government
- Let
- allow; give permission to; say OK
- Program
- project; initiative; a group of activities or things to be achieved; a plan with many parts
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Farmers in _____ have a problem. They cannot fix their own _____ machines.
A farmer named John Boyd Jr. _____ a tractor. When his tractor has a small problem, it stops _____. He must _____ for a person to fix it. Sometimes, he waits for two _____. He cannot work without his tractor, so he _____ time.
Boyd Jr. says the problems _____ small and easy to fix. But farmers cannot get _____ computer programs for repairs. If they try to fix _____, their warranty is cancelled.
It can cost $_____ for a repair person to visit. This is a lot of money for _____.
In 2022, people talked _____ making a new law. It is called the Agricultural Right to Repair Act. _____ law wants to let farmers fix their own machines.
John Deere _____ a farm machine company. It started a new program _____ Operations Center PRO Service. The program _____ farmers with computer programs and _____.
A person from John Deere _____ the company wants to help farmers.
Discussion questions
- Do you think farmers should be allowed to fix their own machines? Why or why not?
- Why do you think a repair person's visit costs so much money?
- Is it fair for a company to cancel a warranty if a farmer tries to fix a machine? Why?
- In your country, is it easy or difficult for people to fix their own things, like cars or phones?
- If you bought something expensive, do you think you should have the right to fix it yourself? Why?
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