Washington Fruit Grower Borton & Sons Announces Layoffs for Nearly 1,000 Seasonal Workers
Borton & Sons, a major Washington-based fruit grower and packer, has announced plans to lay off nearly 930 seasonal farmworkers in November as the harvest season ends. The layoffs are part of typical post-harvest reductions common in agriculture but have been labeled 'permanent' by the company due to uncertainty about future staffing needs for 2027. The affected workers, hired under the H-2A visa program, will be let go between November 8 and 15 across multiple locations. The move is not an isolated incident; Washington state saw over 14,000 seasonal agricultural layoffs in a recent year alone as part of routine workforce adjustments. The increased visibility into these seasonal employment shifts stems from changes in reporting requirements rather than signs of industry decline. While such fluctuations are normal for agribusinesses, they pose significant financial challenges for workers who rely on temporary jobs.
Topics: agriculture farm labor H-2A program