CALIFORNIA – Foster Farms announced that it would be closing a turkey processing plant in Turlock and laying off 519 employees.
City officials said operations will wind down over the coming months, with a closure date anticipated in May.
The company cited changing market demands as the reason for the closure. Employees will be offered the option to transfer to other facilities within Foster Farms.
“We commend the company for their commitment to working with the city on this, as well as supporting processing plant employees through job placement and transfer opportunities,” said Turlock Mayor Mayor Amy Bublak.
A company representative said it will “continue to have a significant presence in the Central Valley” and is not closing its Turlock-based cooked poultry facility.
‘Rising cost of doing business in California’
Other closures in recent months in California’s agriculture sector include Green Thumb Produce, a longtime family business in Banning that permanently closed its doors last October.
Prior to its closing, a jury awarded two former Green Thumb employees $946,195 for wrongful termination.
The WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) filing shows 112 employees were affected by the closure.
In addition, indoor vertical farming company Plenty, said it closed its Compton leafy greens farm, as part of a strategic decision to focus on strawberries.
“The rising cost of doing business in California, including climbing energy prices, made operating here challenging,” the company said in a post. “Closing this chapter was not a decision we made lightly, but it was a necessary step as we shift our focus to strawberries.”
The company is laying off 48 employees effective February 14.
