Backyard Farms to rehire furloughed workers
The Madison-based Backyard Farms will begin hiring back its full staff in phases, starting in October, after furloughs that began Tuesday.
The Kennebec Journal reported the company will not say how many of its nearly 200 employees will take part in the furloughs. The year-round tomato farm announced the furloughs for all but its essential personnel in August.
The decision came after the company was forced to destroy its first crop because of a whitefly infestation and after a second crop propagated by a third-party grower did not meet quality standards.
During the month of August, as the labor demand was lower than usual with no active crop in the ground, the company allowed around 50 employees to participate in local community service projects instead of doing greenhouse work.
The company, which typically produces over 27 million pounds of tomatoes a year, is Madison’s second-largest employer.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly characterized the timeline for Backyard Farms hiring back its furloughed employees.
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