8-K

                  SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                        Washington, D.C.  20549
                      __________________________

                               FORM 8-K


                            CURRENT REPORT


                Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                   Securities Exchange Act of 1934


Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)    July 14, 2003

                     Berry Petroleum Company
      (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware                     1-9735               77-0079387
(State or other           (Commission            IRS Employer
jurisdiction of           File Number)        Identification No.
incorporation)


       5201 Truxtun Avenue, Suite 300 Bakersfield, CA  93309
              (Address of principal executive offices)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code (661) 616-3900


                            N/A
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)







                       1



Item 9. Regulation FD Disclosure

     On July 14, 2003, Berry Petroleum Company, a Delaware
corporation, issued a press release, a copy of which is attached
hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.


     (c)  Exhibits

     99.1  Press Release of Berry Petroleum Company dated
           July 14, 2003.



                     SIGNATURE

    Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be
signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

                            BERRY PETROLEUM COMPANY



                            By     /s/ Kenneth A. Olson
                            Name:      Kenneth A. Olson
                            Title:     Corporate Secretary
                                       and Treasurer

     July 14, 2003

                     2

EX-99

News Release
Berry Petroleum Company       Phone (661) 616-3900
5201 Truxtun Avenue, Suite 300 E-mail: ir@bry.com
Bakersfield, California 93309-0640
Internet:www.bry.com                  NYSE:BRY

Contacts:  Jerry V. Hoffman, Chairman, President & CEO
Ralph J. Goehring, Senior Vice President & CFO

                  BERRY PETROLEUM COMPLETES NEW
             $200 MILLION UNSECURED CREDIT FACILITY

     Bakersfield,  California, July 14, 2003  -  Berry  Petroleum
Company (NYSE:BRY) announced the successful completion of a  $200
million unsecured three-year credit facility arranged and managed
by  Wells  Fargo Bank.  Bank of America acted as Co-Lead Arranger
with  Union  Bank  of  California, Fleet National  Bank  and  BNP
Paribas in various Agent roles. Other participating banks include
Bank  of  Scotland, Comerica Bank, Citibank(West), MidFirst  Bank
and  Societe Generale. The new credit facility recognizes Berry's
strong  financial profile and replaces the previous $150  million
facility which was due to mature in January 2004.

     Ralph J. Goehring, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer,  commented, "This new credit facility provides  us  with
significant  low-cost capital to expand our  business,  primarily
through  acquisitions.  Our  initial  borrowings  are  only   $15
million,  although  we  anticipate  an  additional  borrowing  of
approximately  $40  million to close on our previously  announced
Brundage  Canyon acquisition in the Uinta Basin  of  Utah.   This
available capital, combined with our solid balance sheet and long-
lived and consistent producing assets, positions Berry to achieve
its  growth  targets. We are also very pleased with the  expanded
strength  and  depth  of  our bank  group,  as  each  bank  is  a
significant energy lender. We look forward to their contributions
to our future success."

     Berry  Petroleum  Company  is an  independent  oil  and  gas
production and exploitation company headquartered in Bakersfield,
California.

"Safe  harbor under the Private Securities Litigation Reform  Act
of  1995:" This release may contain descriptions of the Company's
expectations regarding future business activities.  These forward-
looking  statements  are  made  in  reliance  upon  safe   harbor
provisions  of  the Private Securities Litigation Reform  Act  of
1995.  Accordingly,  actual results may  differ  materially  from
those contemplated by the forward-looking statements.

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