BusinessWednesday, November 4
SoCal Berry Growers plans to close six Ventura and Oxnard farms and lay off 572 workers
The Daily Oxnard team
If you work in or around Ventura County's strawberry fields, this one hits close. SoCal Berry Growers notified the Oxnard City Council in an Oct. 31 letter that it plans to close six farms in Ventura and Oxnard between Jan. 11 and Jan. 25, 2027. California Post reports most of the 572 workers who'd lose their jobs are berry pickers.
The six farm closures are set for January after a July union vote
- JulySoCal Berry Growers employees elect to unionize with the United Farm Workers.
- Oct. 31SoCal Berry Growers sends the Oxnard City Council its closure letter.
- Jan. 11-25The six farms are set to close, with 572 layoffs.
Sources: Ventura County Star, California Post
Four of the farms are on Olivas Park Drive, just south of the Ventura city limits. One is just north of Oxnard at West Gonzales Road and Harbor Boulevard, and another is southeast of the city near Ormond Beach and Point Mugu Naval Air Station.
- Layoffs: 572 workers across six farms
- Notice rule: 60 days for 50 or more layoffs
- Union vote: July, to join the United Farm Workers
- Company response: no reply to interview requests
Strawberries are the county's top crop, bringing growers $808 million in wholesale revenue in 2025, yet growers collectively lost about 1% of it. Korinne Bell, the county's agricultural commissioner, says she's not shocked and doesn't think this will be the last closure.
Strawberry growers lost money in a record year for county farm revenue
- $808 million
- in strawberry wholesale revenue, 2025
- 1%
- collective loss for the county's strawberry growers
- $2.4 billion
- in total county farm revenue in 2025, a record
- 19%
- drop in that total over a decade, adjusted for inflation
Sources: Ventura County Star, California Post
“You can only operate at a loss for so long.”
Sources: Ventura County Star, California Post