Dole To Move Farming Operations Out of California

Dole To Move Farming Operations Out of California

Dole Food Co. in Westlake Village will shrink its Oxnard berry operations as part of a plan to move its farming operations out of Southern California, the company said in a recent letter to the state.

The agriculture business told the state’s Economic Development Department, in a notice required by law when there will be large layoffs, that it plans to lay off 172 workers at 5701 W. Gonzales Road and cease pre-harvest and cooling operations there. That is part of a broader effort to close some of its berry operations in Southern California, Dole wrote.

The workforce reduction will be effective as of Oct. 6, according to Dole, which said it was operating through its subsidiaries, Dole Berry Co., DB South and Dole Fresh Vegetables. Dole will also not be hiring the seasonal workers it usually does for the pre-harvest and harvesting of its berries.

According to Dole federal filings, the grower owns about 1,600 acres of land in California, Florida, North Carolina, Arizona and Ohio relating to vegetable and berry operations, and leases another 19,000 acres in California, other states and Mexico. It also owns cooling, distribution and processing facilities in Oxnard, other cities in California and other states.

Ventura County’s agriculture industry was worth $2.2 billion in 2015 with the leading crop in value being strawberries, which accounted for $618 million in sales in 2015, down by $10 million compared to the previous year. 

Source: sfvbj.com

Publication date: 8/29/2017