SoCal Berry Growers, a major strawberry grower in Southern California, plans to close six farms and lay off hundreds of people who work at the locations.
In a letter to the city of Oxnard published by the Ventura County Star, the company said it plans to close its locations in Oxnard and Ventura between Jan. 11 and Jan. 25. The letter indicated that 572 employees will be terminated, including 459 harvesters. The company’s letter was dated Oct. 31, roughly 10 weeks before the first closures.
SoCal Berry Growers didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The company supplies strawberries for Driscoll’s, which markets berries grown by independent farmers under contract. Driscoll’s did not respond to a request for comment.
California has hundreds of family strawberry farms and grows close to 90% of the country’s strawberries, according to a 2025 report by the California Strawberry Commission.
The County of Ventura 2025 Crop and Livestock Report shows strawberries as the county’s leading agricultural commodity, with growers reaping $808 million in wholesale revenue. Still, growers lost money on the crop. In Ventura County, production costs reached about $815 million, leaving growers with a net loss.
Closures are not new in the county’s berry fields.
In 2016, Oxnard-based Mandalay Berry Farms announced it would permanently close and lay off 565 employees. Dole also closed an Oxnard berry cooling facility and scaled back its operations there.
In July, SoCal Berry Growers employees elected to unionize under the United Farm Workers. SoCal Berry Growers challenged the petition. The state labor board denied SoCal Berry Growers’ claims of misconduct, reaffirming the United Farm Workers’ unionization petition.
“Instead of giving the workers a chance to negotiate a fair contract, SoCal management is now saying it will shut down, in what we believe is a clear violation of the law to avoid their legal and moral obligations to the workers who pick the strawberries,” UFW Vice President Roman Pinal said in a statement to the Star. “The UFW is familiar with these tactics and will utilize all legal options to defend our members’ rights.”
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