Because of the state's unusually hot summer, farmers may need fall temperatures to delay their arrival if the are to salvage reasonable crop yields this year.
According to a recent report from the Indiana State Climate Office, a little more than a third of the Indiana corn and soybean had matured by September 18.
"Most of the remainder of the crop is probably going to mature safely before such a killing freezing or frost occurs," Purdue Extension corn specialist Bob Nielsen said. "I think it's looking much more positive at this point than it was even a week ago."
Indiana Farm Bureau Vice President Randy Kron says farms need a later frost than normal because most crops were planted late this year.
"The frost is a concern especially for the late beans, which we are what we call double crops," he said. "The wheat crop came off probably ten days later than normal , so we need a later frost."
Climatologists say the fall's first frost occurs by Halloween about 90 percent of the time.