Hormel Foods gives state layoff notification for Barron hatchery

Hormel Foods officially notified the state Department of Workforce Development and the mayor of Barron on Tuesday of its intention to permanently lay off 38 workers at its Barron hatchery, but emphasized in an online statement that employees had the option to accept a transfer within the company or take a severance package.

At the end of last year, Hormel, the owner of Jennie-O Turkey Store which is the largest employer in Barron County with 1,800 workers, announced it was shuttering its harvesting operations at 506 W. Division Ave. in Barron.

Hormel said that it had entered into an agreement with Head Start Hatching in Willmar, Minnesota, to take advantage of its new facility and technology.

“This facility and technology are state of the art and offer improved operational efficiencies and the most ideal conditions for hatching,” Hormel said in a statement.

Hormel informed government agencies that the lay offs will be effective on June 28 and are expected to be permanent.

The company gave the following statement as a clarification on the options employees are being offered when the hatchery closes:

"All affected Jennie-O team members will have the option to accept new roles within our company at any of our other locations. However, if they are unable to secure another position within the company, or choose not to relocate to another location, they will be offered a severance package."