Definition of Specialty Crops

Specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture. Specialty crops are plants that are intensively cultivated. There are many plants that are specialty crops when cultivated but are also collected from wild populations. Wild plants are not considered specialty crops even though they may be used for the same purpose as cultivated plants.

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Ineligible Commodities
Cotton and cottonseed Feed crops such as barley, corn, hay, oats, sorghum grain, millet, alfalfa Flaxseed Food grains such as rice, rye, wheat Hemp Livestock and dairy products, including eggs Marine or fresh water aquaculture	Oil crops such as peanut, soybean, sunflower, safflower, rapeseed, canola, mustard seed, evening primrose, borage Peanuts Range grasses Sugar beets Sugarcane Tobacco Tofu

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Please visit the USDA’s Definition of Specialty Crops website for a more comprehensive listing of eligible and ineligible commodities.