Tractor Supply (TSCO) is facing outrage from Black farmers after it made a drastic decision to appease its conservative customers.
The farm supply company recently axed its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and climate change advocacy. It also pulled its support for pride events and training after it received criticism from customers for having “woke priorities.”
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“We have heard from customers that we disappointed them,” said Tractor Supply in a statement announcing the changes. “We have taken this feedback to heart. Going forward, we will ensure our activities and giving tie directly to our business.”
The move from Tractor Supply came after major companies such as Bud Light (BUD) and Target (TGT) saw their earnings dip last year following boycotts from customers who criticized them for being "woke" due to their LGBTQ marketing.
Now, a group of Black farmers are calling for the Tractor Supply President and CEO Hal Lawton to resign after he caved into political pressure to make the controversial cuts to their initiatives.
“I was appalled by the decision,” said John Boyd Jr., president and founder of the National Black Farmers Association, in an interview with Fortune. “I see this as rolling back the clock with race relations — because the country is so divided on race, especially in rural America.”
Boyd claims that after years of trying to get Tractor Supply to consult with the NBFA on its DEI efforts, the association was finally invited to apply to be a partner of the Tractor Supply Company Foundation. But on June 26, the day before the company announced that it was cutting its DEI goals, the NBFA learned that it had not been selected as a partner.
Statement from Tractor Supply pic.twitter.com/ZMweR8JVuy
— Tractor Supply (@TractorSupply) June 27, 2024
The NBFA has attempted to reach out to Lawton multiple times to discuss its concerns with the company’s recent changes. It is now calling for his resignation and is even considering a boycott of the company if it doesn’t make any adjustments to its goals within the next few days.
“He’s gone too far — and we have to let him know we’re not going to sit back and take this mess anymore,” said Boyd in the interview with Fortune. “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.”
The NBFA did not immediately respond to TheStreet’s request for comment.
In the U.S., there are about 40,000 Black farmers, and they own less than 1% of the nation’s farmland, while 95% is owned by white farmers. In 1920, Black farmers owned 14% of the country’s farmland, which was over 16 million acres.
The stark decrease in ownership by Black farmers can be attributed to systematic racism stemming from “inequities in the administration of government farm programs and discrimination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” according to the Legal Defense Fund.
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Farmers rely on credit and resources from the government to pay for supplies, equipment, rent or mortgages, etc. For decades, the government has denied Black farmers access to benefits from federal programs.
Recently, in 2022, the Department of Agriculture granted direct loans to only 36% of Black farmers, and 16% of Black farmers were rejected, which was the highest amount for all demographic groups, according to an analysis from NPR. About 72% of white farmers were approved for the loans, while only 4% were denied.
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