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) December 9, 2004

                     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 7.01.  Regulation FD

     Regulation FD Disclosure

     (c)  Exhibits

     The following Exhibits are hereby furnished as part of this Current
     Report on Form 8-K:

Exhibit 99 - News Release dated December 9, 2004 regarding the
     Registrant's announcing the promotion of Shawn Canaday to the
     postion of treasurer.






                     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


     December 9, 2004



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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

Contacts:Robert F. Heinemann, President and CEO
         Ralph J. Goehring, Executive Vice President and CFO


     BERRY PETROLEUM COMPANY PROMOTES SHAWN CANADAY TO TREASURER


Bakersfield,  CA  -  December  9,  2004  -  Berry  Petroleum  Company
(NYSE:BRY)  announced the promotion of Shawn Canaday to the  position
of  treasurer, effective December 1, 2004.  Mr. Canaday joined  Berry
in  2003  as  a  senior financial analyst and has  worked  under  the
direction  of  Ralph  Goehring, executive vice  president  and  chief
financial  officer, and Kenneth Olson, corporate secretary/treasurer.
The  Company  is  dividing the role of corporate secretary/treasurer,
with  Mr.  Olson  continuing in the role of corporate  secretary,  to
better  align these positions with the Company's recent  and  planned
growth.

Mr.  Canaday,  a  Certified  Public  Accountant,  is  a  graduate  of
California  State  University, Fresno, and  has  experience  in  both
public  accounting  and the oil and gas industry,  having  previously
worked for ChevronTexaco.

In  announcing  the promotion, Ralph Goehring said, "Shawn  has  ably
assisted  the  Berry financial team in the role of  senior  financial
analyst  since  joining  Berry  last year  and  we  believe  that  as
treasurer  he  will  provide  the Company  with  continued  excellent
oversight  of  the  finance, capital structure  and  risk  management
responsibilities."

Berry Petroleum Company is a publicly traded independent oil and  gas
production   and  exploitation  company  with  its  headquarters   in
Bakersfield, California.


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