Not a book review, no bullet points

As a former farm child and now a public librarian, an article in Wired caught my eye ("We Can’t Let John Deere Destroy the Very Idea of Ownership").  I have a couple of thoughts on this:

1. This isn't new.  There are other vendors and products that operate similarly.  The library field is dealing with this in regard to e-content, specifically popular ebooks.   Libraries often buy a license to e-content.  Some vendors, not all, allow content to be ported to different portals, but the restrictions of the license are still in place.  This content can not be sold.  New tractors are incredibly complex, much more so than an ebook with DRM.  Like it or not, John Deere may have a point.
2. The farmer's relationship to their equipment is changing.  The same is true for libraries' relationships with content.  These expensive machines perform complex work, and expertise required to maintain these machines.  As acute business people, farmers may be wise to outsource repair to experts, especially as repairs become more complex.  This is also evident in libraries the focus shifts from ownership to access.
3. Check stereotypes at the door.  Just as librarians are faced with limiting stereotypes, so are farmers (for evidence see Wired's article).  This article is evidence of this. The stereotype manifests in the belief that farmers are quaint salt of the earth people who SHOULD fix their own things.  This fails to recognize the utter complexity of modern farm equipment.  

Overall, I agree with the premise of Wired's article that ownership is important.  This news is evidence of a troubling trend that shifts power towards large corporations and away from the individuals.  As a librarian focusing on e-resources, I experience the ramifications and the movement away from ownership.  Relatedly, there is a significant loss when the "owner" can no longer has access to fix their systems, be that a tractor, a car, or a phone.  However, while the main point of the article is notable, the Wired gets it wrong with their out of touch and sentimental article.  Wired is alarmed that this is happening to farmers now, but this phenomenon isn't new.