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The call from the National Black Farmers Association (NBFA) to boycott John Deere will continue.

John Boyd, president of the NBFA, said that years of discrimination by Deere led to the boycott, which is intended to draw attention to Deere’s “unfairness and gain respect and better responsiveness for Black farmers,” a news release said.

Deere responded with a statement and the formation of a coalition, but neither diminished the resolve of the NBFA.

“In the past six years, John Deere has supported the National Black Farmers Association through financial sponsorship, equipment donation, and participation in the 2019 annual conference,” the statement said. “That, coupled with Deere pledging $1 million to the NAACP Empowerment Programs to fight racial inequality over the summer, was intended to show that Deere was embracing its minority customers and recognizing that race relations and diversity efforts need to improve in the U.S.”

Deere also announced it had formed a coalition with the National Black Growers Council and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund known as the Legislation, Education, Advocacy and Production Systems, or LEAP.
Boyd, called the coalition “one of the most offensive and egregious corporate missteps I have ever witnessed.”

Sources: Ag Daily Quad-Cities Times