A Washington apple-and-pear orchard plans to permanently close its Granger operation on November 30, eliminating 90 jobs after lease negotiations with a property owner failed. The shutdown comes as agricultural employers across the state make staffing changes, including a separate 193-worker reduction at an Eastern Washington farming operation.
Henry Bosma Orchards filed its closure notice with the Washington Employment Security Department on October 27. The state’s WARN database categorizes the action as a permanent closure, with the 90 job losses scheduled to take effect on November 30.
The closure reaches across the orchard
The affected positions span much of the operation. Local reporting based on the company’s WARN letter identifies orchard laborers, tractor drivers, irrigators, crew bosses, mechanics and human resources staff among the workers facing job losses. The list also includes the farm manager, other managers and the general manager.
The company told the state that it would cease all operations at the Granger farm because negotiations with a lessor were unsuccessful. The notice does not explain which lease terms could not be resolved, whether the company considered another location or what will happen to the property after operations end.
A July 2023 Washington State Department of Agriculture directory listed Henry Bosma Orchards as a certified organic producer of apples and pears. At that time, the directory said the business had held state organic certification since 2002 and reported 154.3 organic acres. It did not indicate how much of that acreage was tied to the Granger operation named in the closure notice.
The shutdown is planned for November 30
The closure is scheduled rather than completed. The state filing gives November 30 as the effective date for both the permanent shutdown and the 90 affected positions.
The Granger closure is separate from the 193 agricultural layoffs announced by Greenridge Farming in the Pasco area. Greenridge attributed its reductions to the end of the 2026 harvest season, while Henry Bosma Orchards described a full and permanent shutdown tied to failed lease negotiations.
The filing does not address whether employees could transfer to another operation or whether any part of the Granger business could continue under a different arrangement. Unless the plan changes, the orchard’s current operation will end November 30, affecting jobs from field work and irrigation to maintenance and management.
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