Just in time for the end of Pride Month, Tractor Supply Co. said on Thursday that it would be changing a wide range of policies, including ending “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion” (DEI) programs, stopping sponsoring Pride events, and withdrawing from carbon emission goals.
The agricultural product and home improvement chain store made the announcement via a statement on X (formerly known as Twitter), saying that “we have heard from customers that we have disappointed them. We have taken this feedback to heart.”
Related:
The statement said that Tractor Supply Co. would “no longer submit data to the Human Rights Campaign” – an LGBTQ+ rights organization – and “focus on rural America priorities including ag education, and veteran causes and stop sponsoring nonbusiness activities like pride festivals and voting campaigns.”
Stay connected to your community
Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter.
“As you supported us, we have invested millions of dollars in veteran causes, emergency response, animal shelters, state fairs, rodeos and farmers markets. We have also invested in the future of rural America,” the statement further read. It noted that Tractor Supply Co. is the largest supporter of the Future Farmers of America and has longstanding relationships with 4-H and other educational organizations
The change comes the chain faced criticism led by Robby Starbuck, a film director turned conservative activist who criticized Tractor Supply Co. for their so-called “woke agenda.” He celebrated the win on X, writing that he had “a massive victory to report. I’ve exposed the woke agenda @TractorSupply’s corporate office for three weeks. Now they’ve responded.”
Based in Tennessee, Tractor Supply Co. has more than 2,200 stores in almost every state. As of Friday, Starbuck’s post criticizing the company had received 1.7 million views.
“This monumental change is thanks to all of you who supported my work exposing this, to the whistleblowers in Tractor Supply and my fellow farm owners who respectfully spoke up. I’m working to get more information about these changes but this is a fantastic moment for the fight to banish wokeness, DEI and ESG from the workplace,” Starbuck further said.
Prior to the policy change, the company’s DEI goals for 2026 were to “double the number of stores where team members mirror the communities it serves,” “increase people of color at the manager level and above by 50 percent,” and “increase spending with diverse suppliers by 35 percent.” It also planned to “cut carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2025,” achieving “net zero emissions across all operations by 2040,” none of which are in the company’s future now.
