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 on Thursday, bringing a weeks-long, right-wing pressure campaign to a close.
鈥淲e work hard to live up to our every day and represent the values of the communities and customers we serve,鈥� it said. 鈥淲e have heard from customers that we have disappointed them. We have taken this feedback to heart.鈥�
Tractor Supply sells farm supplies, animal feed, tools, fencing and clothing 鈥� 鈥渆verything except tractors鈥� 鈥� at more than 2,200 stores across 49 states, . It says its customers are primarily farmers, horse owners, ranchers, tradesmen and suburban and rural homeowners.
The Fortune 500 company has been as an inclusive and diverse workplace, including last year in Bloomberg鈥檚 Gender Equality Index and Newsweek鈥檚 inaugural list of America鈥檚 Greatest Workplaces for Diversity.
But it recently became the target of conservative ire for that very reason, as the latest in a growing to face backlash over 鈥� and ultimately walk back 鈥� its DEI initiatives.
Robby Starbuck, a music video director and Republican to represent Tennessee's 5th Congressional District in 2022, launched the campaign against Tractor Supply on X (formerly Twitter) earlier this month.
He that it was 鈥渢ime to expose Tractor Supply,鈥� which he said was one of conservatives鈥� 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 鈥渇unding sex changes,鈥� among other complaints.
鈥淚 take no pleasure in bringing this all to light,鈥� Starbuck added. 鈥淚鈥檓 a Tennessean who loves to support TN companies but as a proud Tennessean I know these woke priorities don鈥檛 align with our state or @TractorSupply鈥檚 customer base.鈥�
He urged others to 鈥渞espectfully鈥� flood Tractor Supply鈥檚 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 reporting it knocked 5% off the Nasdaq-listed company鈥檚 share price in the past month. Tractor Supply reversed course before the end of the month.
鈥淕oing forward, we will ensure our activities and giving tie directly to our business,鈥� 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 鈥渨hile still ensuring a respectful environment.鈥�
The company also said it would stop sponsoring 鈥渘onbusiness activities鈥� like Pride festivals and voting campaigns, and instead continue its focus on 鈥渞ural America priorities鈥� 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鈥檚 decision and calling for the movement to continue.
鈥淲e will get rid of DEI one company at a time,鈥� , the inflammatory right-wing and anti-LGBTQ account.
Starbuck praised the outcome as a 鈥渕assive victory for sanity,鈥� and said in an that this is the 鈥渇irst Fortune 300 company in our lifetimes to go backwards on , DEI and all these woke causes and donations, in record speed.鈥�
But that鈥檚 not good news for everyone. expressed their disappointment in the company, even vowing not to shop there anymore and calling on others to do the same.
Several, like Tennessee , 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鈥檚 move.
鈥淭ractor Supply鈥檚 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,鈥� GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis . 鈥淚t 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.鈥�
A spokesperson for Tractor Supply declined to comment beyond their statement.
Why DEI matters
Shaun Harper, a professor of business at the University of Southern California, says because Tractor Supply stores are primarily located in rural communities, 鈥渢he case-making for DEI should鈥檝e been differently framed and better customized for those cultural contexts.鈥�
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).
鈥淚t therefore doesn鈥檛 surprise me at all that 鈥榙isappointed customers鈥� misunderstood DEI to be only one narrow set of activities that are misaligned with their religious, ideological, and family values,鈥� he wrote.
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.
鈥淭he most important role of DEI programs is that they promise to democratize access to good jobs in the U.S.,鈥� he explains. 鈥淧art of it is just, what kind of a society do we want to be? We want to be a society where anyone can succeed 鈥� that鈥檚 certainly the principle we were founded on.鈥�
Beyond that, he says, a lot of the practices that promote diversity 鈥� such as recruiting from HBCUs, implementing mentorship programs and offering management training 鈥� are also 鈥渏ust good management鈥� from a business perspective, especially in a tight labor market.
He says it鈥檚 a mistake for companies to roll back low-cost efforts aimed at equalizing opportunities for underrepresented groups like Black, Hispanic and LGBTQ+ workers 鈥� and to signal so publicly that members of those groups aren鈥檛 welcome in their workplace.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 inconsequential when a place like Tractor Supply publicly announces that it鈥檚 not going to pursue the programs anymore,鈥� Dobbin adds. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 not good news that companies are so publicly rejecting their own commitments to try to do better.鈥�
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鈥� calls for companies to do more to hire, retain and promote workers from minority groups.
That led to a of chief diversity officers and other positions dedicated to spearheading DEI efforts 鈥� and to backlash from DEI鈥檚 conservative critics.
鈥淎s often happens, there was a counter movement against it,鈥� Dobbin said. 鈥淎nd 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.鈥�
And their boycotts have had some high-profile successes in recent years, from Target this Pride Month to Bud Light鈥檚 parent company putting executives on leave after its sparked a firestorm last year.
Dobbin says there are also many companies walking back such initiatives with less fanfare, for example, quietly taking 鈥渄iversity鈥� 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鈥檚 2023 in higher education. In the long-term, however, Dobbin doesn鈥檛 believe 鈥渢his is the end of progress on promoting diversity in the workforce.鈥�
鈥淲e had a moment where the pendulum swung in one direction,鈥� he adds. 鈥淚t swung back in another direction. Usually we end up somewhere between those two poles.鈥�
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