PRESS RELEASE

LITTLE ROCK— With harvest fast approaching, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge wants to ensure Arkansas’s farmers and ranchers are aware of their consumer rights regarding certain farm equipment. In 2019, with the guidance of Attorney General Rutledge, Arkansas enacted the Farm Machinery Lemon Law. The law applies only to new farm machinery purchased or leased on or after January 1, 2020, that exhibits at least one defect during the first 12 months or 600 hours of operation. If the manufacturer, distributor or authorized dealer is unable to repair the issue, the consumer is entitled to choose comparable replacement equipment or receive a refund of the full purchase or lease price less the fair value of the equipment at the time of refund.

“As the wife of a row crop farmer, I know properly working farm equipment is vital to a farmer’s operation, especially in the heat of harvest,” said Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. “The costs to purchase farm equipment is a tremendous investment for a farmer, and the Farm Machinery Lemon Law was enacted to provide relief for Arkansans in case they purchased a lemon.”

The Farm Lemon Law covers farm equipment or machinery that is over 25 horsepower, typically used for agricultural purposes, and purchased or leased for the first time from a manufacturer, distributor or an authorized dealer. All-terrain vehicles (ATVs), lawnmowers, off-road vehicles, and machinery under 25 horsepower are not covered by the Farm Machinery Lemon Law. Additionally, the law defines the types of defects available for relief and outlines the process and time frames that consumers must follow in order to make a lemon law claim.

Rutledge publishes a guidebook to help equipment owners understand the law and dispute claims of nonconformity.

For more information or to file a consumer complaint related to the Farm Machinery Lemon Law, contact the Attorney General’s Office at (800) 482-8982 via email at [email protected] or online at ArkansasAG.gov.