Farmer Kevin Herman says that Donald Trump's campaign vow to deport millions of immigrants who are in the country illegally pushed him into buying more equipment, such as this almond sweeper, cutting the number of workers he'll need during the next harvest.

FRESNO, Calif. — Days after Donald Trump won the White House vowing to deport millions of people in the country illegally and fortify the Mexican border, California farmer Kevin Herman ordered nearly $600,000 in new equipment, cutting the number of workers he’ll need starting with the next harvest.

Herman, who grows figs, persimmons and almonds in the nation’s most productive farming state, said Trump’s comments pushed him to make the purchase, larger than he would have otherwise.

“No doubt about it,” Herman said. “I probably wouldn’t have spent as much or bought as much machinery as I did.”

Others in California’s farming industry say Trump’s tough campaign talk targeting immigrants in the country illegally — including a vast number of farmworkers — spurred them into action, too.

They’re calling on congressional representatives to educate the incoming president on the workforce it takes to feed the country, and they’re assuring workers they’ll protect them.

Leticia Alfaro, a food-safety supervisor at a San Joaquin Valley farm, said that many of her friends who work in the fields don’t have proper documentation like her, and they take Trump’s threats seriously.

“They’re terrified by his comments,” Alfaro, 53, said.

They fear being deported and torn from their children who were born here, she said. After They wonder if it will be safe to make a simple trip to the store, fearing checkpoints where they’ll be pulled over and have to show their documentation.

Trump’s remarks were felt sharply in California, which produces nearly half the country’s fruits, vegetables and nuts. Experts say his words resonate nationwide.

Texas, Florida and Georgia are examples of states with large migrant communities dominating home construction, health care, food service industries, said David Zonderman, a labor historian at North Carolina State University.

“California might be ground zero,” he said of immigrant families living in the shadows. “But it’s not a unique California issue.”

The fear stems from Trump’s campaign rallies, where he received a rousing response each time he vowed to deport people who are in the country illegally — up to 11 million. That position softened after Trump won the election, when he said he’d start with 3 million with criminal records.

Some farmers point to Trump’s postelection shift as a sign his campaign bluster won’t become reality. But others believe this shift underscores the president-elect’s unpredictable nature.