Risk, returns & timeframes illustration
1 min read
August 24, 2022
by

A Deere in headlights 🚜

Is it doomsday for this Deere in the headlights? Farmers are Deere hunting, taking a note from Thunberg’s playbook as the right to repair battle rages on. And looks like Deere’s software is one ransomware attack away from imploding the entire food supply network.
Risk, returns & timeframes illustration
1 min read
August 24, 2022
by

A Deere in headlights 🚜

Is it doomsday for this Deere in the headlights? Farmers are Deere hunting, taking a note from Thunberg’s playbook as the right to repair battle rages on. And looks like Deere’s software is one ransomware attack away from imploding the entire food supply network.
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As we collectively maintain cognitive dissonance while hoping someone solves climate change, are farmers paying the price for our love of high fructose corn syrup and cheezburgers? đŸ”đŸ„€ Extreme heat waves in the northern hemisphere summer have zapped water supplies, resulting in drought-stricken US farmers selling cows and killing crops. But that’s not the only thing curdling their milk. 

Following in Greta Thunberg’s footsteps, farmers have been raising placards and lawsuits to fight for their right to repair tractors, and in the US they’re Deere hunting using the Clean Air Act as ammunition. đŸ”« The right to repair is the kind of law change, supported by Biden, that means consumers have the right to fix their gadgets (and cracked screens) at home
 or their hella spensy tractors across 2.01 million farms in the US. That’s without manufacturers using software lockouts, expensive servicing or warranty voids, so consumers flood landfill with fixable stuff.

Last week an Aussie battler waded into the ‘liberate the tractors’ clash by mowing down demons while mowing crops. đŸŒŸ By using jailbreaking hacks, Sick Codes played Doom on a John Deere tractor after bypassing the software’s digital locks. But this wasn’t just a game. Mr Codes and others reckon malicious hackers could exploit vulnerable Linux and Windows CE hardware, as happened with the meaty JBS ransomware attack, imploding the world’s food supply network. 

Will the US’ largest private farm owner potato farmer Bill Gates join in the fight? đŸ„” Each US Deere (DE) dealership services around 12,018 US farms over 5.3 million acres of land, and that’s a mighty holding-up-traffic drive for farmers who seek repairs. Yet while the angry placard waving hasn't spelled doom for Deere, they hit the dirt with analysts’ earnings expectations last week, even lowering their net income forecasts by US$200 million. A sign farmers could be dusting off the old John Deere B?

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We’re not financial advisors and Hatch news is for your information only. However dazzling our writing, none of it is a recommendation to invest in any of the companies or funds mentioned. If you want support before making any investment decisions, consider seeking financial advice from a licensed provider. We’ve done our best to ensure all information is current when we pushed ‘publish’ on this article. And of course, with investing, your money isn’t guaranteed to grow and there’s always a risk you might lose money.

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