Understanding Specialty Crops: Definition, Examples, and Why it Matter

People often hear about “commodity crops” like corn or wheat, but “specialty crops” receive less attention. Yet specialty crops play a crucial role in agriculture, nutrition, and local economies.

In this article, we define what specialty crops are, list common examples, and highlight how they differ from commodity crops. By the end, you will clearly see why growers and policymakers treat them differently — and why consumers should care.

What Are Specialty Crops?

In U.S. agricultural policy and many academic contexts, specialty crops refer to agricultural products that are not “commodity crops.” Legally, in the United States, the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 defines specialty crops as “fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).”

In other words, growers must cultivate or manage these crops, and those crops must be used by people for food, medicinal purposes, or for their aesthetic value, such as ornamental plants.

While that definition covers a broad range, in practice, “specialty crops” often include:

• Fruits and related berries
• Vegetables
• Tree nuts
• Dried fruits
• Horticultural and nursery crops, including cut flowers, ornamentals, greenhouse plants, and landscaping plants
• Herbs and spices
• Sometimes specialty mushrooms, medicinal plants, and other high-value niche crops

Because of their diversity, specialty crops may vary regionally, and the exact crops counted under that umbrella may shift depending on definitions in different countries or programs.

Specialty crops often require more careful management, more labor per acre, and more attention to postharvest handling, because many of them are perishable or sensitive.

In short, when you hear “specialty crops,” think of diverse, high-value plants used directly for food, ornament, or medicinal use — not bulk grains or oilseeds.

Read also: 15 Top Drought-Resistant Crops for Thriving in Water-Scarce Conditions

Examples of Specialty Crops

To ground the concept, here are concrete examples of specialty crops in different categories. This list is illustrative, not exhaustive.

Fruits & Tree Nuts & Dried Fruits

• Apples, citrus (oranges, lemons), grapes, berries (strawberries, blueberries), mango, avocado
• Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pecans
• Dried fruits like raisins, dried apricots, dates (when processed)

Vegetables

• Tomatoes, onions, lettuce, peppers, spinach, cucumbers, squash
• Specialty vegetables and market garden crops such as microgreens, specialty salad greens, herbs, and edible flowers

Horticultural & Nursery Crops / Floriculture

• Cut flowers (roses, lilies, chrysanthemums)
• Potted plants (indoor houseplants, ornamentals)
• Landscape shrubs, trees, groundcovers, turfgrass
• Herbs grown in nurseries or greenhouses for culinary or medicinal use

Others / Emerging Specialty Crops

• Specialty mushrooms
• Medicinal herbs, botanical crops
• Niche products such as microgreens, edible flowers, or certain high-value berries
• Sometimes, honey, tea, hops, maple syrup, turfgrass seed are included under broader specialty crop programs

These examples illustrate the richness and variability of the specialty crops category.

Specialty Crops vs. Commodity Crops: Key Differences

To understand specialty crops more deeply, it helps to compare them side by side with commodity crops. Below is a breakdown of the main differences.

Feature	Specialty Crops	Commodity Crops
Definition / Role	Grown for direct human consumption, aesthetic uses, or medicinal value	Grown for mass production, processing, feed, biofuel, or raw inputs
Typical Crops	Fruits, vegetables, nuts, nursery, floriculture, herbs, specialty mushrooms	Often very large-scale monoculture operations dominate
Market Nature	More niche, differentiated; many producers compete locally or regionally	Fungible, bulk, standardized, traded in large markets
Price Control	Growers often have more flexibility to differentiate (variety, quality, branding)	Farmers are price takers — one bushel is like another
Scale	Highly labor-intensive — planting, care, harvest, sorting, postharvest processes	Tends to be smaller, more fragmented farms; a mix of small, mid, and specialized large farms
Labor Intensity	More vulnerable to spoilage, pests, climate, and postharvest losses	Less per unit labor (often mechanized)
Subsidies / Policy Support	Historically, less direct income support; rely more on grant/specialty crop programs	Many commodity crops receive strong subsidy and price support programs
Risk Factors	Typically, more robust, with easier storage and standardization	Often very large-scale monoculture operations dominate

Market and Pricing Differences

Commodity crops are chemically and physically uniform — for example, one bushel of corn is equivalent to another. This fungibility enables large-scale trading, futures markets, and standardized pricing.

By contrast, specialty crops differ by cultivar, quality, freshness, color, flavor, packaging, and regional variety. A premium strawberry variety can command a higher price. Growers can differentiate on quality, branding, or niche markets.

Because commodity crops are standardized, individual farmers have little control over the price. They must accept the prevailing market price (i.e. price takers).

Specialty crop growers have more room to influence price or brand — though they still contend with market competition, perishability, and logistical cost.

Labor and Production Costs

Specialty crop production often demands far more labor per acre. In U.S. data, specialty crop farms had the highest labor costs among farm types — labor accounted for around 38 cents of every dollar in cash expenses, versus just 4 cents for corn and soybean farms.

Furthermore, specialty crops require careful pest management, precise irrigation, pruning, selective harvesting, sorting, and packaging. Postharvest losses (waste) also cost more.

Commodity crops, in contrast, often use large-scale mechanization, simplified inputs, and standardized harvesting and storage systems.

Policy and Support

Because commodity crops historically have formed the core of major farm programs, they often benefit from strong subsidies, price supports, and risk management programs. Specialty crops, being more heterogeneous, do not fit nicely into those kinds of programs.

To address this imbalance, governments have developed specialty crop–targeted programs such as the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) and Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) to help producers with marketing, postharvest, technical assistance, and enhancing competitiveness.

For example, the MASC program provides financial assistance to specialty crop producers to offset higher marketing costs related to perishability, handling, packaging, and transport.

In summary, specialty crops differ from commodity crops in scale, risk, flexibility, and support mechanisms. The two systems operate under different economies.

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Why Specialty Crops Matter

Even though commodity crops dominate land area and production volume, specialty crops hold important strategic, economic, nutritional, and ecological significance.

Economic Value & Local Impact

Specialty crops often yield higher revenue per area. They support many small and mid-sized farms and can boost rural and regional economies through value-added processing, local markets, farmers’ markets, and agritourism.

In the U.S., specialty crops account for a significant share of total crop value, sometimes estimated at 30–40% of total crop value by dollar amount though covering a much smaller share of acreage.

Many regions actively support specialty crop production because it enhances local food security, reduces transportation costs, and stimulates small business development.

Nutrition & Food Diversity

Specialty crops provide nutritional diversity, fresh produce, and access to seasonal, high-quality foods. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs, and ornamentals enhance diet quality and food systems’ resilience.

By contrast, overreliance on commodity crops can lead to dietary monotony and dependence on processed foods.

Environmental & Sustainability Benefits

Specialty crop systems often encourage diversified rotations, integrated pest management, soil health practices, and more localized supply chains. They can promote biodiversity and reduce reliance on monocultures.

Because many specialty crops are produced closer to regional markets, they can reduce transportation distances and lower carbon footprint relative to bulk commodity transport.

Moreover, specialty crop farms frequently adopt sustainable practices such as cover cropping, composting, and organic methods to maintain soil fertility and reduce chemical inputs.

Challenges in Specialty Crop Production

Despite their advantages, specialty crops face significant challenges.

Perishability and Postharvest Losses

Because many specialty crops such as fruits, vegetables, and cut flowers are perishable, producers must manage cold chains, packaging, and transport quickly. Losses after harvest can be high.

High Labor Requirements & Costs

As noted earlier, labor makes up a huge share of expenses for specialty crop farms — often many times more relative to commodity farms. Recruiting, training, and retaining labor (especially skilled labor for delicate handling) are constant challenges.

Pest Pressure, Disease, and Climate Sensitivity

Specialty crops are often more vulnerable to pests, diseases, and environmental stressors. Because many are high-value, growers must invest more in integrated pest management, disease control, and sometimes protective structures like greenhouses or shade nets.

Climate change, extreme weather events, and shifting growing zones add further risk.

Market Access, Infrastructure, and Scale

Many specialty crop growers are small or midscale and have limited access to aggregation, distribution, cold storage, logistical networks, or marketing channels.

Because specialty crops are diverse and nonuniform, supply chain infrastructure must adapt. That complexity makes scaling difficult.

Policy & Support Gaps

Compared to commodity crops, specialty crop growers often lack robust direct subsidies or risk mitigation tools. They rely more heavily on grant programs, specialized assistance, or niche marketing.

In some cases, regulatory burdens, food safety standards, or export barriers present steep hurdles for small specialty crop producers.

Putting It All Together: Why the Distinction Matters

Understanding the difference between specialty crops and commodity crops matters for several reasons:

1. Policy & Funding – Governments and agencies allocate resources differently. For example, specialty crop programs target growers of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and horticulture rather than staple grains.
2. Farm Strategy – A farmer deciding between planting corn or fruit must weigh scale economics, labor needs, market risk, and capital investment.
3. Consumer & Food System Resilience – A food system relying solely on commodity crops is vulnerable to disruption and lacks diversity. Specialty crops enrich dietary options, local supply, and system flexibility.
4. Agricultural Sustainability – Specialty crop systems often demand more nuanced management, but they also promote ecological diversity, soil health, and lower agrochemical reliance when managed well.

Conclusion

Specialty crops encompass a broad and important class of agricultural goods — from fruits, vegetables, and nuts to ornamentals, herbs, and nursery plants. Legally defined as “fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture),” they differ fundamentally from commodity crops in scale, market behavior, labor intensity, and economic support.

While specialty crop production brings higher risks and costs (especially labor and postharvest losses), it also offers higher value, greater crop diversity, nutritional benefits, and enhanced connection with local markets. In many regions, supporting specialty crops is a strategic way to diversify agriculture, improve food security, and promote sustainability.