Tractor Supply slashes its DEI and climate goals after a right-wing pressure campaign (2024)

Tractor Supply slashes its DEI and climate goals after a right-wing pressure campaign (1)

A Tractor Supply Company store pictured in Pittsburgh in 2023. The chain announced a series of changes, including eliminating its DEI roles, in response to conservative backlash. Gene J. Puskar/AP hide caption

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Gene J. Puskar/AP

Tractor Supply Company, which bills itself as the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the U.S., will eliminate its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) roles, withdraw its carbon emissions goals and stop sponsoring Pride events in response to criticism from conservative activists.

The Brentwood, Tenn.-based company announced the series of sweeping changes in a statement shared to social media on Thursday, bringing a weeks-long, right-wing pressure campaign to a close.

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“We work hard to live up to our Mission and Values every day and represent the values of the communities and customers we serve,” it said. “We have heard from customers that we have disappointed them. We have taken this feedback to heart.”

Tractor Supply sells farm supplies, animal feed, tools, fencing and clothing — “everything except tractors” — at more than 2,200 stores across 49 states, according to its website. It says its customers are primarily farmers, horse owners, ranchers, tradesmen and suburban and rural homeowners.

The Fortune 500 company has been nationally recognized as an inclusive and diverse workplace, including last year in Bloomberg’s Gender Equality Index and Newsweek’s inaugural list of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity.

But it recently became the target of conservative ire for that very reason, as the latest in a growing series of retailers to face backlash over — and ultimately walk back — its DEI initiatives.

Robby Starbuck, a music video director and Republican who ran unsuccessfully to represent Tennessee's 5th Congressional District in 2022, launched the campaign against Tractor Supply on X (formerly Twitter) earlier this month.

He wrote on June 6 that it was “time to expose Tractor Supply,” which he said was one of conservatives’ most beloved brands but was at odds with their values. He pointed to its DEI hiring practices, in-office Pride Month decorations, climate change activism and “funding sex changes,” among other complaints.

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“I take no pleasure in bringing this all to light,” Starbuck added. “I’m a Tennessean who loves to support TN companies but as a proud Tennessean I know these woke priorities don’t align with our state or @TractorSupply’s customer base.”

He urged others to “respectfully” flood Tractor Supply’s corporate offices with calls and emails stating their disapproval and, to the extent possible, start buying products from other stores instead.

Their campaign seems to have worked, with the Financial Times reporting it knocked 5% off the Nasdaq-listed company’s share price in the past month. Tractor Supply reversed course before the end of the month.

“Going forward, we will ensure our activities and giving tie directly to our business,” it said.

The changes are placating one group and losing another

Those changes include: no longer submitting data to the Human Rights Campaign (an LGBTQ advocacy group), withdrawing its carbon emissions goals to focus on land and water conservation efforts, eliminating its DEI roles and retiring its current DEI goals “while still ensuring a respectful environment.”

The company also said it would stop sponsoring “nonbusiness activities” like Pride festivals and voting campaigns, and instead continue its focus on “rural America priorities” such as education, animal welfare and veteran causes.

Its statement on X has gotten more than 71,000 likes and 12,000 comments, many of them from conservative users applauding the company’s decision and calling for the movement to continue.

“We will get rid of DEI one company at a time,” wrote Libs of TikTok, the inflammatory right-wing and anti-LGBTQ account.

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Starbuck praised the outcome as a “massive victory for sanity,” and said in an eight-minute video that this is the “first Fortune 300 company in our lifetimes to go backwards on ESG, DEI and all these woke causes and donations, in record speed.”

But that’s not good news for everyone. Many X users expressed their disappointment in the company, even vowing not to shop there anymore and calling on others to do the same.

Several, like Tennessee state Sen. Charlane Oliver, a Democrat, were especially disappointed that the company chose to take this stance during the month of both Pride and Juneteenth.

Groups including the Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD and the National Black Farmers Association were also quick to denounce Tractor Supply’s move.

“Tractor Supply’s embarrassing capitulation to the petty whims of anti-LGBTQ extremists puts the company out of touch with the vast majority of Americans who support their LGBTQ friends, family, and neighbors,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis told The Advocate. “It sends an appalling message, during Pride month, to see a rural staple go out of their way to bring harm to their LGBTQ customers and employees.”

A spokesperson for Tractor Supply declined to comment beyond their statement.

Why DEI matters

Tractor Supply slashes its DEI and climate goals after a right-wing pressure campaign (5)

A sign in English and Spanish advertises jobs at a Tractor Supply store in Richland, Miss., in 2023. Rogelio V. Solis/AP hide caption

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Rogelio V. Solis/AP

Shaun Harper, a professor of business at the University of Southern California, says because Tractor Supply stores are primarily located in rural communities, “the case-making for DEI should’ve been differently framed and better customized for those cultural contexts.”

Harper told NPR over email that he knows firsthand how activities like Pride parades are met with opposition in rural communities, like his South Georgia hometown (which has its own Tractor Supply location).

“It therefore doesn’t surprise me at all that ‘disappointed customers’ misunderstood DEI to be only one narrow set of activities that are misaligned with their religious, ideological, and family values,” he wrote.

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Frank Dobbin, a Harvard sociology professor who has studied corporate diversity programs for decades, told NPR that the end of DEI programs hurts business in two ways.

“The most important role of DEI programs is that they promise to democratize access to good jobs in the U.S.,” he explains. “Part of it is just, what kind of a society do we want to be? We want to be a society where anyone can succeed — that’s certainly the principle we were founded on.”

Beyond that, he says, a lot of the practices that promote diversity — such as recruiting from HBCUs, implementing mentorship programs and offering management training — are also “just good management” from a business perspective, especially in a tight labor market.

He says it’s a mistake for companies to roll back low-cost efforts aimed at equalizing opportunities for underrepresented groups like Black, Hispanic and LGBTQ+ workers — and to signal so publicly that members of those groups aren’t welcome in their workplace.

“I don’t think it’s inconsequential when a place like Tractor Supply publicly announces that it’s not going to pursue the programs anymore,” Dobbin adds. “I think it’s not good news that companies are so publicly rejecting their own commitments to try to do better.”

Tractor Supply is part of a broader trend

The Tractor Supply saga is an example of a much broader back and forth over corporate DEI initiatives nationwide.

The 2020 police murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests against racial injustice fueled advocates’ calls for companies to do more to hire, retain and promote workers from minority groups.

That led to a nationwide surge in the hiring of chief diversity officers and other positions dedicated to spearheading DEI efforts — and to backlash from DEI’s conservative critics.

“As often happens, there was a counter movement against it,” Dobbin said. “And the conservative activists have been very successful in raising money and in funding think tanks, where the people who come after companies are often located.”

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And their boycotts have had some high-profile successes in recent years, from Target scaling back on its LGBTQ+ merchandise this Pride Month to Bud Light’s parent company putting executives on leave after its partnership with a transgender influencer sparked a firestorm last year.

Dobbin says there are also many companies walking back such initiatives with less fanfare, for example, quietly taking “diversity” out of the title of an internship program.

He thinks anti-DEI efforts will continue to see progress, helped in part by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling against affirmative action in higher education. In the long-term, however, Dobbin doesn’t believe “this is the end of progress on promoting diversity in the workforce.”

“We had a moment where the pendulum swung in one direction,” he adds. “It swung back in another direction. Usually we end up somewhere between those two poles.”

Tractor Supply slashes its DEI and climate goals after a right-wing pressure campaign (2024)

FAQs

Why did Tractor Supply end in DEI? ›

ends DEI efforts after social media backlash. Tractor Supply, a rural lifestyle retail chain with locations across the country, including many in the Empire State, is altering its company initiatives after backlash from conservative consumers.

How is Tractor Supply responding to the DEI? ›

Late last week, just as Pride Month festivities were dialing down, Tractor Supply announced it was eliminating all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) roles at the company, retiring current DEI goals and no longer submitting data to the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group.

What is the controversy with Tractor Supply Company? ›

The retailer retreated from its diversity and climate goals after an “anti-woke” protest on social media — and ignited a backlash.

Which farm supply chain vowed to cut DEI roles amid pressure outcry followed? ›

A farm-supply chain vowed to cut DEI roles amid pressure. Outcry followed. Tractor Supply said it would make changes to its diversity and climate programs after fielding criticism from customers. Summary is AI-generated, newsroom-reviewed.

Why are people canceling Tractor Supply? ›

Tractor Supply Company, which bills itself as the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the U.S., will eliminate its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) roles, withdraw its carbon emissions goals and stop sponsoring Pride events in response to criticism from conservative activists. The Brentwood, Tenn.

What does DEI stand for? ›

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are organizational frameworks which seek to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups who have historically been underrepresented or subject to discrimination on the basis of identity or disability.

Is Tractor Supply going woke? ›

The hardware giant Tractor Supply Company has promised to stop its LGBT pride and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs massive attention on social media to how the company pushes an extremely “woke” agenda on its employees.

What are the goals of the DEI? ›

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) performance goals are specific, measurable objectives that define your company's progress toward building a more diverse and inclusive workplace. These goals are important because they translate DEI's abstract concepts into actionable steps.

Is Tractor Supply an ethical company? ›

As a company focused on living out our Mission and Values, Tractor Supply is committed to “work hard, have fun and make money by providing legendary service and great products at everyday low prices.” This mission statement is supported by 10 values – ethics, respect, balance, winning attitude, communication, ...

Why does the controversy about Tractor Supply Tennessee based company drop DEI inclusion and climate initiatives? ›

As previously reported by The Tennessean, the changes follow backlash from Robby Starbuck, a former Hollywood director turned conservative activist who shared a nearly eight-minute video on X exposing the company's support for the LGBTQ+ community.

Is Tractor Supply a diverse company? ›

The move comes only weeks after retailer Tractor Supply shut down its corporate diversity efforts, and illustrates the growing pressure on companies to shelve diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Who is Tractor Supply's biggest competitor? ›

Tractor Supply's primary competitors are Home Depot, Lowe's, Rural King and 12 more.

Why is tractor supply under scrutiny? ›

Backlash. Tractor Supply's efforts to stem criticism about its policies—while putting out one fire—simply created a new fire of criticism when groups including the Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, and the National Black Farmers Association denounced the company's actions.

What are the 3 main actions of supply chain & operations teams? ›

Generally the key aspects of Supply Chain management are Purchasing (sourcing), Planning (scheduling) and Logistics (delivery). Sometimes logistics is separate, and procurement may be included with Purchasing, depending upon how location specific the procurement activities are.

What is the major focus of supply chain management What are the primary areas of responsibility of supply chain managers? ›

SCM encompasses the integrated planning and execution of processes required to optimize the flow of materials, information and capital in functions that broadly include demand planning, sourcing, production, inventory management and logistics—or storage and transportation.

Is Tractor Supply not sponsoring pride? ›

EDITOR'S NOTE: In late June, the Tractor Supply Company announced that it was eliminating the corporation's diversity, equity, and inclusion goals; ending its practice of providing data to the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group; and stopping the sponsorship of gay pride festivals and voting campaigns.

Did Tractor Supply go woke? ›

In other words, TSC is finished promoting woke ideologies. Its focus going forward is to promote America and invest its efforts in those things that make it great. Specifically, Tractor Supply's public statement said the company will do the following: No longer submit data to the Human Rights Campaign.

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