Should Tractor Supply Be Ditching DEI and Climate Goals?

Tractor Supply announced it will eliminate its diversity and climate target goals in a push to distance itself from “nonbusiness activities” after weeks of conservative backlash.

In a statement, the chain, which caters to mainly rural customers with home improvement equipment, livestock, and agricultural supplies, said it has “invested millions of dollars” in veteran causes, emergency response, animal shelters, state fairs, rodeos, and farmers markets; is the largest supporter of FFA; and has longstanding relationships with 4-H and other educational organizations. However, it’s no longer supporting activities and causes that don’t align with the values of its core consumer.

“We work hard to live up to our mission and values every day and represent the values of the communities and customers we serve,” Tractor Supply said in a statement. “We have heard from customers that we have disappointed them. We have taken this feedback to heart. Going forward, we will ensure our activities and giving tie directly to our business.”

Among the changes, Tractor Supply will:

• No longer submit data to the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group
• Refocus its Team Member Engagement Groups on mentoring, networking, and supporting the business
• Further focus on “rural America priorities” such as agriculture education, animal welfare, veteran causes, and “being a good neighbor and stop sponsoring nonbusiness activities like pride festivals and voting campaigns”
• Eliminate DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) roles and retire its current DEI goals “while still ensuring a respectful environment”
• Withdraw its carbon emission goals and focus on land and water conservation efforts

The changes come as conservative activist and former Hollywood director Robby Starbuck in a campaign on X (formerly Twitter) called for a boycott of the retailer over its “woke” initiatives, including DEI hiring and employee training practices, in-office Pride Month decorations, climate change activism, and funding sex-change procedures, among other complaints.

Facing political and legal threats, many companies have been retreating from their diversity policies after putting a major focus on them following the 2020 murder of George Floyd. In April, the Wall Street Journal reported that dozens of companies, including Kohl’s and GameStop, were quietly removing language from or tweaking their DEI programs. A growing wave of anti-DEI sentiment followed a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2023 to strike down affirmative action in colleges.

Bud Light and Target came under right-wing fire for their promotions with the LBGTQ+ community last year, resulting in sales declines for both.

Meanwhile, a Politico article from April said legislators across North America “who have embraced aggressive climate policies are facing a political backlash as the programs drive up the cost of electricity, home heating and even ordinary goods.”

Tractor Supply’s pullback from DEI initiatives received the most attention, with statements criticizing the move coming from the Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, and the National Black Farmers Association, as well as several Democrat legislators.

Shaun Harper, a professor of business at the University of Southern California, told NPR that 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.”

A Wall Street Journal article pointed out that while fewer companies aren’t broadcasting their diversity goals, a 2023 survey from Bridge Partners, an executive recruitment firm, still showed that 70% of companies with over $25 million in revenue plan to expand their DEI programs.

David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, told the WSJ that companies “aren’t answering to conservatives on X, they are answering to liberal consumers and recruits at liberal colleges.” He added that Tractor Supply’s decision “is kind of an illustration of the two Americas.”