After DTN/Progressive Farmer reported extensively this week on raids on agricultural worksites employing foreigners, President Trump on Thursday promised farmers that “changes are coming.”

An immigration raid on a small meat plant in Nebraska “is likely a sign of things to come,” DTN reported, along with the first of a series on labor challenges. 

In a social media post Thursday, President Trump acknowledged that “very good long time workers” are being taken from farms and hospitality companies and said “changes are coming.”

“Our farmers are being hurt badly,” the president said during a bill-signing ceremony Thursday, Axios reported. 

“They have very good workers,” he continued. “They’ve worked for them for 20 years; they’re not citizens, but they’ve turned out to be … great, and we’re going to have to do something about that.” He said there would be a related order “pretty soon.”

Zippy Duvall, the president of the Republican-leaning American Farm Bureau Federation, said Thursday, “We appreciate President Trump’s comments this afternoon recognizing the contributions of farmworkers who play a vital role in growing food across America, and committing to preserve the ability of farms to provide a safe and secure food supply.”

“We look forward to working with the president on solutions that ensure continuity in the food supply in the short term, and we call on Congress to follow the President’s lead to develop a permanent solution that fixes outdated and broken farmworker programs,” Duvall said.

Chuck Conner, president and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, said, “I want to commend President Trump for today’s statements recognizing the indispensable role of long‑time foreign‑born farm workers in U.S. agriculture.”

“NCFC believes that the changes the president refers to must, at the end of the day, lead to the end of widespread enforcement actions on farms and at ag processing facilities that are not targeting violent criminals,” Conner said.