NEW YORK (AP) — The National Black Farmers Association on Tuesday called on the president and CEO of Tractor Supply to resign after the rural retailer announced it would shed most of its operations. corporate diversity and climate advocacy efforts.
The resignation request came as Tractor Supply, which sells products ranging from farm equipment to pet supplies, faces a growing backlash over its decision, which itself came after conservative activists spoke out against the company’s work to be more socially inclusive and curb corruption. climate change.
In a public announcement last week, the company said it would eliminate all of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion roles, ending sponsorships of “non-commercial activities” such as Pride Celebrationsand withdraws its reduction targets carbon dioxide emissionsCritics of the new position argue that Tractor Supply is giving in to hatred and harming its customers by abandoning crucial principles.
“I was dismayed by this decision,” John Boyd Jr., president and founder of the National Black Farmers Association, said in an interview. “I see this as a step backward in race relations because the country is very divided on race, particularly in rural America.”
Tractor Supply declined to comment further when contacted Tuesday.
Tractor Supply, headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, operates more than 2,200 stores across the United States, most of them located in rural areasThe retailer’s primary customer base is buyers in need of agricultural and livestock products, such as livestock feed, trucking supplies, tools and outdoor equipment.
Boyd said Tractor Supply stores are where most of the NBFA’s 130,000 members are located. Like other farmers, he said Black Farmers I’ve been shopping at the chain for years. Boyd, who is also a shareholder in Tractor Supply, estimated he has personally spent more than $10,000 at his local store since January alone, buying supplies like fencing wire and feed for his cattle and horses in Virginia.
Prior to the company’s announcement, conservative activists opposed to DEI efforts, sponsorship of LGBTQ+ events and climate advocacy had spent weeks criticizing Tractor Supply on social media. Tractor Supply said in its statement Thursday that it made the changes after hearing from disappointed customers and that it took “this feedback to heart.”
The move marks a significant shift for Tractor Supply, which once touted its diversity and inclusion efforts. In recent years, the company has tried to broaden its appeal to younger consumers, particularly former urbanites it now risks alienating.
“We will continue to listen to our customers and team members. Your trust in us is of the utmost importance and we do not take this lightly,” the company said.
The NBFA said it made several attempts 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 anymore,” Boyd said, adding that the organization may consider calling for a boycott of Tractor Supply if nothing changes in the coming days. “We’re tired of being mistreated by the government and Fortune 500 companies. … Black farmers are going to start fighting 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 sanctuary that says it spends more than $65,000 a year on livestock 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 sanctuary 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’d worked with for years what he thought of the announcement.
Hyman, who is gay, said she told the director that the sanctuary could no longer support Tractor Supply if its ad reflected her beliefs. The sanctuary also posted its position on X, where the post received 31,000 likes.
“I find it astounding that a company would cave to a hate campaign,” Hyman said. “Now they have another boycott on their hands. We didn’t call for this, but obviously people are.”
Allen Adamson, co-founder of marketing consultancy Metaforce, said the conservative pressure on Tractor Supply and the fallout from the decision were “a perfect example of how the country’s growing division — politically and ideologically — has made it very difficult to run consumer-facing businesses.”
“No matter which path you take, you’re going to upset a lot of your customers,” he said.
Consumers of all backgrounds are increasingly influenced by social media and are choosing to shift their spending if they feel like companies aren’t aligned with their values, Adamson said. In the case of Tractor Supply, which does business in rural communities, anti-DEI activism put the retailer in a “really tricky” situation where it had to do something to stop a potential exodus, he said.
“No business wants to be the target of negative criticism on social media,” Adamson said. “It’s a no-win situation.”
Tractor Supply’s U-turn follows boycott campaigns against Bud Light And Target Last year, Target decided not to carry Pride Month merchandise in all of its stores in June, following backlash from last year.
Legal attacks against corporate diversity and inclusion efforts have also attracted increased attention following the Supreme Court’s decision Decision of 2023 to end affirmative action in college admissions. Many conservative and anti-DEI activists have sought to create a similar precedent In the working world.
A handful of other Tractor Supply organizations and customers have also expressed disappointment or outrage over the company’s recent announcement, which included its intention to no longer submit data to the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ+ rights group in the United States.
Eric Bloem, vice president of corporate programs and 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 short-sighted decision.” The organization has worked with Tractor Supply to create inclusive policies and practices for years, he added.
But Boyd, of the National Black Farmers Association, said that despite years of efforts by the NBFA, Tractor Supply has not consulted with the group on past diversity and inclusion goals or participated in the organization’s conferences. The company recently invited the NBFA to apply to become a partner in 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 groups selected, he said.