Strawberry Producer Closes Six Farms, Ending 572 Jobs in Ventura County

SoCal Berry Growers will terminate 572 employees and close six farm locations in Oxnard and Ventura between January 11 and January 25, 2027. The company announced the plan in a letter to the city of Oxnard dated October 31, 2026. The workforce reductions include 459 harvesters and 113 other staff members.

The closures follow a recent labor dispute in which the company’s employees voted to join the United Farm Workers union in July 2026. SoCal Berry Growers contested the petition, but the state labor board denied the company’s claims of misconduct. The board reaffirmed the unionization process, clearing the way for the new employee representation.

Roman Pinal, vice president of the UFW, stated that the company is shutting down to avoid negotiating a contract. "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," Pinal said in a statement. The UFW said it will use all legal options to defend its members.

SoCal Berry Growers supplies strawberries for Driscoll’s, a company that markets berries grown by independent farmers under contract. Neither SoCal Berry Growers nor Driscoll’s responded to requests for comment regarding the closures. The company operates within a region where strawberries remain the leading agricultural commodity.

According to the Ventura County 2025 Crop and Livestock Report, strawberry growers generated $808 million in wholesale revenue last year. However, the county’s growers operated at a net loss because production costs reached approximately $815 million. A 2025 report from the California Strawberry Commission noted that California produces close to 90% of the nation’s strawberries.

The berry industry in the area has seen previous workforce reductions. In 2016, Mandalay Berry Farms, which is based in Oxnard, announced it would permanently close and lay off 565 employees. During that same period, Dole closed an Oxnard berry cooling facility and scaled back its operations in the region.