John Deere cuts DEI programs, will no longer join 'social or cultural awareness parades'

John Deere, one of Iowa's largest employers, announced this week it is scaling back a series of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the farm equipment manufacturer said it would be eliminating or changing multiple internal policies and initiatives, adding that “our customers’ trust and confidence in us are of the utmost importance to everyone at John Deere.”

“We will no longer participate in or support external social or cultural awareness parades, festivals, or events,” the statement read.

John Deere also announced that it would be “auditing all company-mandated training materials and policies to ensure the absence of socially motivated messages,” and would be “reaffirming within the business that the existence of diversity quotas and pronoun identification have never been and are not company policy.”

DEI in the workplace:Efforts may be under attack, but many companies aren't retreating from commitments

Based in Moline, Illinois, in the Quad Cities, Deere employs about 11,000 people in Iowa at plants in Ankeny, Davenport, Dubuque, Ottumwa and Waterloo, as well as at a research center in Urbandale.

John Deere to focus on 'trust and confidence' of consumers

The company in its Tuesday statement also announced all employee resource groups will now focus “exclusively on professional development, networking, mentoring and supporting talent recruitment efforts.”

The announcement stated that the changes were based on the company’s commitment to responding to customer opinion.

“To best serve our customers and employees, Deere is always listening to feedback and looking for opportunities to improve,” the statement read. “That’s why we consistently prioritize internal policies that more closely align with our business strategy to meet the needs of our customers.”

While John Deere did not address any specific customer feedback, the company was targeted earlier this month on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, by conservative activist Robby Starbuck.

In a July 9 post, Starbuck accused John Deere of funding Pride events for children, encouraging employees to list their gender-based preferred pronouns in all company communications and having employee resource groups focused on people of color and LGBTQ people.

Social media campaigns targeting agriculture-based companies

John Deere is the second agriculture-based company to scale back or eliminate various DEI initiatives in recent months.

In June, Tractor Supply Company, a Tennessee-based retailer of farm goods and supplies, announced it was significantly cutting back on its DEI programs and carbon emission goals, including eliminating all DEI roles at the company.

These changes similarly followed a weeks-long social media campaign led by Starbuck.

Separately, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported that a Scott County man in June sued his former employer, Eaton Corp. in Davenport, alleging his civil rights had been violated when he was fired for wearing Christian-themed T-shirts to work in response to the company’s endorsement of Pride Month.

Many companies standing firm on DEI programs: Survey

Despite the recent moves from Tractor Supply and John Deere, 96% of corporate social impact professionals across 125 major companies say DEI commitments have either increased (13%) or stayed the same (83%), according to a new survey exclusively shared with USA TODAY by the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals and YourCause from Blackbaud.

But if you think you've been hearing about DEI initiatives less often, you may be on to something. The survey showed 17% of respondents said they talk less about the work with people outside their organization, and nearly a third of executives said they describe the initiatives differently.

Contributing: Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY; Kevin Baskins, Des Moines Register

Max Hauptman is a Trending Reporter for USA TODAY. He can be reached at MHauptman@gannett.com