A major agricultural supplies retailer announced it would eliminate its DEI role, end its carbon emissions targets and cut ties with LGBTQ advocacy groups following a social media campaign calling for the company to revert its “woke” policies.
Tractor Supply, an 85-year-old Tennessee-based company with 2,250 stores, made the decision after conservative commentator Robbie Starbuck called for a boycott on his show X over the past three weeks.
“We have heard from our customers that we have let them down,” Tractor Supply said in a statement Thursday. “We take this feedback seriously.”
The retail chain, which sells home improvement equipment, livestock and agricultural supplies to farmers and pet owners, announced it would end its sponsorship of the Pride festival and cut ties with LGBTQ advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign.
The company also said it will “eliminate the DEI role and rescind its current DEI goals while ensuring a respectful environment.”
Instead, Tractor Supply will increase its support for veterans services, emergency response agencies, animal shelters, state fairs, rodeos and farmers markets, the company said.
Starbucks claimed victory over X, saying in an eight-minute video that it had “extracted the largest concession in the history of the boycott.”
Starbuck praised Tractor Supply Co. for ceasing to submit data to the Human Rights Campaign, which he said “has nothing to do with human rights. We’re committed to raising awareness and injecting an LGBTQ agenda into Corporate America.”
The Human Rights Campaign said it has worked with Tractor Supply for years to develop a comprehensive policy and accused the company of pandering to “far-right extremists.”
“Tractor Supply is turning its back on its neighbors with this shortsighted decision. LGBTQ+ people live in every zip code in this country, including rural communities,” Eric Bloom, vice president of business advocacy, told the Post. “We are shoppers, we are farmers, we are veterans and we are agricultural students.”
Tractor Supply Co. also said it would drop its carbon dioxide emissions targets and instead focus on land and water conservation efforts.
The company previously had aims to achieve net-zero emissions from its operations by 2040, increase the number of people of color in leadership positions and do more business with diverse suppliers, as previously reported by The Wall Street Journal.
“We continue to listen to our customers and team members,” Tractor Supply said in a statement. “The trust and confidence our customers have in us is of the utmost importance and we do not take it lightly.”
The policy shift marks one of the strongest progressive moves by corporations to date, but it’s not the first time in recent years that customers have used their purchasing power to sway a company’s stock.
Bud Light sales have plummeted since the company began advertising last year featuring transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Last year, Target lost $10 billion in its market capitalization in 10 days after customers boycotted the company after it introduced a Pride collection that included children’s clothes.
Target shareholders filed a lawsuit against the company last year after their stock price fell by $20,000 during the Pride Collection controversy.
