FALLS, Pa. — Thursday marks the first frost advisory in months, a signal that we're entering the colder part of the year. Although many might be concerned about hunkering down and layering up, for some in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania, one frost could change the rest of the year.
"There's a lot to worry about in farming and when it comes to frost. Things that mother nature do. If I can't control it, I don't think about it, and I try not to worry about it," said Bill Hopkins, Hopkins Farms.
For farmers like Bill Hopkins, who runs Hopkins farm in Wyoming County, the forecast foreshadows their fortune.
"I see weather coming. I get very emotional, and I get very sensitive and cranky because you're talking about tens of thousands of dollars a day," said Hopkins.
A singular frost can kill hundreds of crops, and sometimes, shielding them from the cold is just not worth the cost.
“This is a 20-acre field; if I had to cover every crop in this field, there's just no sense in it. It would take days to do it and just an unheard-of amount of money."
Hopkins hopes tonight’s frost isn't too bad. But he does point out that some crops can handle the weather.
“Cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower, a light frost will actually help this stuff; they're cold crops, they like the cold weather," explained Hopkins.
Some farmers also prefer a colder and dryer winter over a warmer and wetter one.
“It’s bad for your heating bill, but it's good for my field. The winters that are warm and wet, a lot of snow and not a lot of cold temperatures, those are the worst winters because the ground in the spring will be supersaturated. It's harder to get the crops in,” said Hopkins.
Meteorologists forecast the climate pattern La Niña to take hold as we head into this winter, which would mean a higher likelihood of a wetter winter season.