As farm equipment becomes more sophisticated and more dependent on software, a farmer’s right to repair that machinery—or have an independent mechanic repair it—could be restricted by manufacturers’ refusal to share information outside the company’s dealer network, an advocate for open software sourcing told Iowa Farm Bureau leaders recently.

The ability to repair is becoming a very big issue for farmers, as well as people in other industries who use sophisticated equipment, Willie Cade, founder of PC Rebuilder and Recyclers,...