ERGs | As other 'rural' employers ditch DEI, McCain Foods says its commitment will not waver

McCain Foods is more committed than ever to LGBTQIA+ support, a company HR director has revealed, despite other businesses with ties to farming and rural communities rolling back on DEI (diversity, equity & inclusion) programs in recent months.

Several companies with deep ties to the farming industry or rural communities across America, including John Deere, Tractor Supply, and Harley Davidson, have scrapped sponsorship of LGBTQIA+ events such as Pride, and redirected employee resource groups (ERGs) toward core business activities.

The organizations have faced social media activist campaigns from anti-DEI proponents including Robby Starbuck. In a statement shared in June, for example, Tractor Supply said it would divert attention away from “nonbusiness activities,” including the sponsorship of Pride festivals, toward investment in “rural America priorities.”

But Will Stutzman, Senior Advisor of Organizational Development at McCain has confirmed the company is more committed than ever to LGBTQIA+ support, and more broadly to DEI.