Black farmers’ association calls for Tractor Supply CEO’s resignation after company cuts DEI efforts

NEW YORK — The National Black Farmers Association on Tuesday called on the president and CEO of Tractor Supply to resign after the rural retailer announced it was selling most of its efforts in corporate diversity and climate education.

The resignation demands came as Tractor Supply, which sells products ranging from farm equipment to pet supplies, faces growing outrage over its decision, which came after conservative activists spoke out against the company’s work to become more socially inclusive and curb environmental pollution. climate change.

In a public announcement last week, the company said it has already diversity, equality and inclusion roles, stop sponsoring “non-business activities” such as Pride festivalsand its objectives for reducing carbon emissionsCritics of the new position argue that Tractor Supply is pandering to hatred and harming its customers by neglecting crucial principles.

“I was shocked by the decision,” John Boyd Jrpresident and founder of the National Black Farmers Association, said in an interview. “I see this as turning back the clock on race relations — because the country is so divided on race, especially in rural America.”

Tractor Supply declined to comment further on Tuesday.

Tractor Supply, headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, operates more than 2,200 stores in the United States, most of which are located in countryThe retailer’s core customer base consists of buyers looking for agricultural and ranch products, such as livestock feed, truck supplies, tools and outdoor equipment.

Boyd said Tractor Supply stores are where many of NBFA’s 130,000 members are located. Like other farmers, he said Black farmers has shopped with the chain for years. Boyd, who is also a shareholder in Tractor Supply, estimates he has spent more than $10,000 at his local store since January alone — buying supplies like fence wire and feed for his cattle and horses in Virginia.

Before the company’s announcement, conservative activists opposed to DEI efforts, sponsorship of LGBTQ+ events and climate activism had been criticizing Tractor Supply on social media for weeks. Tractor Supply said in its statement Thursday that it made the changes after hearing from disappointed customers and “taking that feedback to heart.”

The decision marked a significant shift in messaging for Tractor Supply, which once touted its diversity and inclusion efforts. In recent years, the company has sought to broaden its appeal to younger consumers, including former city dwellers it now risks alienating.

“We continue to listen to our customers and team members. Your trust in us is of the utmost importance and we do not take it lightly,” the company said.

NBFA said it repeatedly attempted to discuss its concerns with Tractor Supply President and CEO Hal Lawton before asking for his resignation.

“He’s gone too far — and we need to let him know that we’re not going to sit back and accept this mess any longer,” Boyd said, adding that the organization may consider boycotting Tractor Supply if things don’t change in the coming days. “We’re tired of being mistreated by the government and Fortune 500 companies. … Black farmers are going to fight back. And that’s what we’re doing.”

Some customers have already decided to take their business elsewhere, including Squirrelwood Equine Sanctuary, a New York animal shelter that says it spends more than $65,000 a year on feed and other supplies at Tractor Supply.

Beth Hyman, co-founder of Squirrelwood, said she first heard about the company’s decision when supporters of the shelter contacted her to ask if the group planned to make a statement about it. She thought about it for a day, then went to her local store to ask a manager she’s worked with for years about the announcement.

Hyman, who is gay, said she told the manager the shelter could no longer support Tractor Supply if the announcement reflected their beliefs. The shelter also posted their stance on X, where the post has received 31,000 likes.

“I find it astounding that a company would give in to a hate campaign,” Hyman said. “Now they’ve got another boycott on their hands. We didn’t ask for this, but people apparently did.”

Allen Adamson, co-founder of marketing consultancy Metaforce, said the conservative pressure on Tractor Supply and the fallout from giving in are “the perfect example of how the growing divisions in the country — political and ideological — have made it very difficult to run consumer-facing businesses.”

“No matter how you do it, you’re going to disappoint large numbers of customers,” he said.

Consumers of all backgrounds are increasingly influenced by social media and are choosing to redirect their spending if they feel like companies aren’t aligned with their values, Adamson said. In the case of Tractor Supply, whose business is tied to rural communities, anti-DEI activism put the retailer in a “really tough” situation where it had to do something to stop a potential exodus, he said.

“No company wants to be the target of negativity on social media,” Adamson said. “It’s a no-win situation.”

Tractor Supply’s rollback follows boycott campaigns against Bud light And Goal last year over their LGBTQ+ marketing. Target decided to stop selling Pride Month merchandise in all of its stores in June after the backlash last year.

Legal attacks against companies’ diversity and inclusion efforts have also attracted more attention after the Supreme Court ruling Verdict 2023 to end affirmative action in college admissions. Many conservative and anti-DEI activists have tried to set a similar precedent in the working world.

A handful of other Tractor Supply organizations and sponsors have also expressed disappointment or outrage over the company’s recent announcement, which included plans to stop providing data to the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ+ rights advocacy group in the U.S.

Eric Bloem, vice president of programs and corporate advocacy at the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement last week that Tractor Supply “is turning its back on its own neighbors with this shortsighted decision.” The organization had worked with Tractor Supply for years to create inclusive policies and practices, he added.

But Boyd, of the National Black Farmers Association, said that despite years of efforts by the NBFA, Tractor Supply did not consult with the group on past diversity and inclusion goals or participate in the organization’s conferences. The company recently invited the NBFA to apply to partner with Tractor Supply’s corporate foundation, but the organization learned on June 26 — a day before Tractor Supply announced its DEI and climate goals — that it was not among the selected groups, he said.