SoCal Berry Growers, a supplier for the berry producer Driscoll’s, announced in a letter to Oxnard city officials on Saturday, November 7, 2026, that it will permanently close six farm operations in Ventura County, California. The company informed officials that the closures are expected to result in the loss of approximately 572 jobs. The cessation of operations is scheduled to take place between January 11 and January 25, 2027.
The decision follows a period of increasing production costs for agriculture on California's Central Coast. According to a report by the Farm Bureau of Ventura County, irrigation water prices rose from $22.10 per acre-inch in 2007 to $88.83 in 2025. During a similar timeframe, hourly labor costs increased from $13 in 2020 to $25.16 in 2025. Louise Lampara, CEO of the Farm Bureau of Ventura County, stated that while strawberries were the county's top crop in 2025 with $807.8 million in revenue, production costs reached more than $815 million, resulting in an $8.1 million out-of-pocket loss for growers.
The closure also follows a recent labor dispute. In July 2026, SoCal Berry Growers employees voted to unionize with the United Farm Workers of America (UFW). The company challenged the election results, alleging misconduct, but the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board upheld the vote in August 2026. UFW Vice President Roman Pinal said the union believes the shutdown is a violation of the law to avoid legal obligations to workers and stated the organization plans to pursue legal options.
The scale of the financial pressure is reflected in the $8.1 million net loss reported by the local strawberry industry in 2025 despite high revenues. For individual farm operations, water costs quadrupled and hourly labor wages nearly doubled over several years. Consumers may not see immediate price changes at the grocery store because buyers and retailers, rather than farmers, largely set prices; however, local industry leaders suggest this environment makes it difficult for California growers to compete with imported berries from regions with different regulatory and labor costs.
The effects include a potential shift in where Driscoll’s, the world's largest berry producer, sources its products. While the company expressed sadness over the closure, it already maintains sourcing agreements with independent farms in Florida, Virginia, Mexico, and other global locations. What happens next depends on the UFW’s planned legal challenges regarding the closure scheduled between January 11 and January 25, 2027.