Update: Agencies offer aid after Foster Farms announces layoff of 500-plus Turlock workers
Foster Farms will close part of its turkey processing in Turlock and lay off 519 employees.
The closure will take effect May 9 at the plant that handles fresh turkeys, the company said in a news release Friday, Jan. 24. The adjacent plant for cooked products will remain. The number of workers there was not available as of Friday night.
Foster Farms said the laid-off workers could fill openings at other sites in the Central Valley. It has chicken plants in Livingston, Fresno, Porterville and several other states.
Stanislaus County Workforce Development is already reaching out to potential employers, Director Doris Foster said by email. Turlock Mayor Amy Bublak offered support in a city news release.
Turlock is the only turkey operation for the company and is supplied by several ranches in the region. The layoffs also involve a trucking yard for live turkeys on C Street and a feed mill on West Main Street.
The release said the move “comes in response to changes in market demand and is part of Foster Farms’ ongoing strategic plan.” The Livingston-based business is the top seller of both chickens and turkeys in the West.
“We recognize that this decision impacts the lives of many of our committed team members and does not reflect their efforts,” CEO Jayson Penn said . “We thank the team for their contributions, hard work and ongoing dedication as we support them throughout this transition.”
Turlock has processed turkey for a century
The plants are on West F Street in south Turlock. The fresh line includes whole birds, parts and ground turkey. The other plant does deli meat, franks and other cooked items.
Max and Verda Foster launched the company in 1939 on a ranch west of Waterford. They began with turkey, but chicken soon became their main business. Turkey increased with the purchase of the two Turlock plants. One was from the Grange Co. in 1982. The other was ConAgra’s Butterball plant in 1999.
The combined sites employed about 1,300 people as of 2014, when The Modesto Bee reported on the 75th anniversary of Foster Farms. Turlock has been a major turkey town for about a century.
Foster Farms remained family-owned until its 2022 purchase by Atlas Holdings of Greenwich, Connecticut. The new owner said at the time that workers would keep their jobs, about 12,000 in all.
County agency reacts to layoffs
The county agency can help displaced employees with jobs searches, retraining and other needs.
“Stanislaus County Workforce Development has been in discussions with Foster Farms regarding orientation of services and job fairs,” the director said. “We already have local businesses reaching out to us indicating they would like to be part of the job fair.”
Bublak praised Foster Farms for working with Turlock officials to place workers in new jobs in the company and elsewhere.
“We extend our support to the dedicated employees affected by this closure and acknowledge the challenges they face during this transition,” she said.
This story was originally published January 24, 2025 at 2:10 PM with the headline "Update: Agencies offer aid after Foster Farms announces layoff of 500-plus Turlock workers."
