Deere Investors Reject Anti-DEI Proposal Seeking Hiring Data (1)

John Deere investors on Wednesday spurned an anti-DEI advocate’s campaign for demographic data on the company’s new employees following its pullback from diversity, equity, and inclusion last year.

The proposal from the National Legal and Policy Center urged Deere & Co. to report annually on hiring differences concerning race and gender. The tractor maker should “prove it does not practice discrimination,” the group said in its proposal, raising concerns about discrimination against White workers in corporate America.

The resolution received the support of 1.3% of votes cast by Deere investors, according to preliminary results announced at the company’s annual meeting.

The push by the National Legal and Policy Center came after Deere dropped its support for cultural awareness events and backed off other DEI initiatives in 2024. Deere and other companies withdrew from DEI programs last year after pressure from right-wing influencer Robby Starbuck.

That pressure has now been compounded by the Trump administration, which has ordered federal agencies to root out “illegal DEI” at companies. Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed Justice Department lawyers to provide recommendations that respond to Trump’s order by March 1.

The National Legal and Policy Center’s loss at the Deere annual meeting was unsurprising, said Luke Perlot, an associate director of the group’s Corporate Integrity Project.

“The tide has turned against DEI, due in part to the new administration, and everyone is distancing themselves from DEI now that it is on the outs,” Perlot said. “The large institutional investors responsible for pushing DEI over the last four years would like to sweep it under the rug rather than address the harm caused by these policies over the last four years.”

A Deere spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The company had urged investors to reject the proposal. Deere is an “equal opportunity employer committed to providing a workplace free of harassment and discrimination” and already supplies workforce diversity data annually, the company said in its proxy statement prepared for the annual meeting.

Other Proposals

Deere shareholders also rejected proposals from self-described conservative think tank National Center for Public Policy Research and the American Family Association, which opposes corporate LGBTQ+ initiatives.

The think tank pushed Deere to report on corporate financial sustainability, saying the company may need to further distance itself from DEI. The other group asked Deere to report on its charitable giving. Both proposals received less than 1.3% of votes cast by the company’s investors, according to preliminary results.

A proposal from environmental, social, and governance advocate John Chevedden failed as well, but received 29% of votes cast by Deere shareholders, according to preliminary results. The resolution urged Deere to conduct a civil rights audit, studying bias and discrimination risks after the company backed away from DEI.

Deere investors also were set to vote on a pro-DEI proposal filed by shareholder advocacy group As You Sow, which ultimately pulled the bid from consideration. As You Sow withdrew its resolution after discussions with Deere over its workforce management, the group said earlier this week.

The shareholder group that advocates for environmental and social causes sought hiring, promotion, and retention data related to Deere employees’ gender, race, and ethnicity as part of its proposal. The company said after it rolled back DEI measures that it still valued a diverse workforce and will “continue to track and advance the diversity of our organization.”