For the past several years, whenever Tractor Supply's CEO Jim Wright spoke about his company's earnings, he usually described a strong performance in a challenging environment — a 1,000-plus-store little engine that could.

Last month, his replacement, Greg Sandfort, picked up where Wright left off, pointing to a 10.8% fourth-quarter sales increase and a 24% increase in net income. In his first earnings call as CEO, Sandfort ran analysts through the Brentwood, Tenn.-based retailer's challenges and opportunities.

Despite a stagnant economy and drought conditions across large parts of the country, Brentwood, Tenn.-based Tractor Supply Co. reported sales and earnings growth.

The company posted second-quarter sales of $1.29 billion, up 9.6% from $1.18 billion in the same quarter last year.

The nation’s largest chain of farm and ranch specialty stores posted earnings of $106.6 million, up 8.3% from $91.2 million in the year-ago period. 

Reacting quickly to an early spring, Brentwood, Tenn.-based Tractor Supply Co. said its first-quarter sales increased 22% to $1.02 billion.

Same-store sales for the quarter increased 11.5%. The country’s largest farm-and-ranch retailer, which will release its full first-quarter earnings results April 25, said the same-store sales increase was driven, in part, by early spring weather in 2012.

Sanford Sigoloff, a turnaround specialist who worked for Wickes and Builders Emporium, died of complications of pneumonia in his home in Brentwood, Calif., on Feb. 19, according to an obituary in the New York Times. He was 80 years old and also suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.