Foster Farms Closing California Plant, Laying Off 500+ WorkersFoster Farms Closing California Plant, Laying Off 500+ Workers

Foster Farms announced it is closing its fresh turkey processing plant in Turlock, CA, and laying off more than 500 employees.

Operations will cease on May 9, 2025, but the company says its other facilities in the Central Valley of the state won't be impacted. The closing impacts 519 employees, the company confirmed to local news ABC10. 

The company said closing the plant is based on market demand changes and its ongoing strategic plan. Turlock employees have the option to transfer through job openings at other Central Valley facilities that produce fully cooked poultry products, the company added.

"We recognize that this decision impacts the lives of many of our committed team members and does not reflect their efforts," Foster Farms CEO Jayson Penn said in a news release obtained by ABC10.

Foster Farms is a family owned business that started in 1939 as a small farm in Modesto, CA. In addition to California, the poultry company has operations in Oregon, Washington, Alabama, Colorado, and Arkansas.

The Turlock Journal said the new owner of the plant is Tyson Foods, who will relocate the operation about 10 miles south to Livingston, where Foster Farms is headquartered. Tyson had been looking at purchasing the Foster Farms Turlock and Livingston plants in 2019.

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