Section 101 of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 (7 U.S.C. 1621 note), amended under section 10010 of the Agricultural Act of 2014, Public Law 113-79 (the Farm Bill), defines specialty crops as, “Fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture)." Eligible plants must be cultivated or managed and used by people for food, medicinal purposes, and/or aesthetic gratification to be considered specialty crops. Processed products shall consist of greater than 50% of the specialty crop by weight, exclusive of added water.
A detailed definition of specialty crops (pdf) was also developed for the purposes of this program and other U.S. Department of Agriculture programs.
The tables below list plants commonly considered fruits and tree nuts, vegetables, culinary herbs and spices, medicinal plants, as well as nursery, floriculture, and horticulture crops. There is also a separate list of ineligible commodities. These lists are not intended to be all inclusive, but rather to provide examples of the most common specialty crops. This web page will be updated as the U.S. Department of Agriculture receives new questions about the eligibility of various crops.
Fruits and Tree Nuts
|
Almond |
Grape (including raisin) |
|
Apple |
Guava |
|
Apricot |
Kiwi |
|
Aronia Berry |
Litchi |
|
Avocado |
Macadamia |
|
Banana |
Mango |
|
Blackberry |
Nectarine |
|
Blueberry |
Olive |
|
Breadfruit |
Papaya |
|
Cacao |
Passion Fruit |
|
Cashew |
Peach |
|
Citrus |
Pear |
|
Cherimoya |
Pecan |
|
Cherry |
Persimmion |
|
Chestnut (for nuts) |
Pineapple |
|
Coconut |
Pistachio |
|
Coffee |
Plum (including prune) |
|
Cranberry |
Pomegranate |
|
Currant |
Quince |
|
Date |
Raspberry |
|
Feijoa |
Strawberry |
|
Fig |
Suriname cherry |
|
Filbert (hazelnut) |
Walnut |
|
Gooseberry |
|
Vegetables
|
Artichoke |
Mushroom (cultivated) |
|
Asparagus |
Mustard and other greens |
|
Bean, Snap or green Lima Dry, edible |
Okra |
|
Beet, table |
Pea Garden, English or edible pod Dry, edible |
|
Broccoli (including broccoli raab) |
Onion |
|
Brussels sprouts |
Opuntia |
|
Cabbage (including Chinese) |
Parsley |
|
Carrot |
Parsnip |
|
Cauliflower |
Pepper |
|
Celeriac |
Potato |
|
Celery |
Pumpkin |
|
Chickpeas |
Radish (all types) |
|
Chive |
Rhubarb |
|
Collards (including kale) |
Rutabaga |
|
Cucumber |
Salsify |
|
Edamame |
Spinach |
|
Eggplant |
Squash (summer and winter) |
|
Endive |
Sweet corn |
|
Garlic |
Sweet potato |
|
Horseradish |
Swiss chard |
|
Kohlrabi |
Taro |
|
Leek |
Tomato (including tomatillo) |
|
Lentils |
Turnip |
|
Lettuce |
Watermelon |
|
Melon (all types) |
Culinary Herbs and Spices
|
Ajwain |
Clary |
Malabathrum |
|
Allspice |
Cloves |
Marjoram |
|
Angelica |
Comfrey |
Mint (all types) |
|
Anise |
Common rue |
Nutmeg |
|
Annatto |
Coriander |
Oregano |
|
Artemisia (all types) |
Cress |
Orris root |
|
Asafetida |
Cumin |
Paprika |
|
Basil (all types) |
Curry |
Parsley |
|
Bay (cultivated) |
Dill |
Pepper |
|
Bladder wrack |
Fennel |
Rocket (arugula) |
|
Bolivian coriander |
Fenugreek |
Rosemary |
|
Borage |
Filé (gumbo, cultivated) |
Rue |
|
Calendula |
Fingerroot |
Saffron |
|
Chamomile |
French sorrel |
Sage (all types) |
|
Candle nut |
Galangal |
Savory (all types) |
|
Caper |
Ginger |
Tarragon |
|
Caraway |
Hops |
Thyme |
|
Cardamom |
Horehound |
Turmeric |
|
Cassia |
Hyssop |
Vanilla |
|
Catnip |
Lavender |
Wasabi |
|
Chervil |
Lemon balm |
Water cress |
|
Chicory |
Lemon thyme |
|
|
Cicely |
Lovage |
|
|
Cilantro |
Mace |
|
|
Cinnamon |
Mahlab |
Medicinal Herbs
|
Artemisia |
Marshmallow |
|
Arum |
Mullein |
|
Astragalus |
Passion flower |
|
Boldo |
Patchouli |
|
Cananga |
Pennyroyal |
|
Comfrey |
Pokeweed |
|
Coneflower |
St. John’s wort |
|
Fenugreek |
Senna |
|
Feverfew |
Skullcap |
|
Foxglove |
Sonchus |
|
Ginkgo biloba |
Sorrel |
|
Ginseng |
Stevia |
|
Goat’s rue |
Tansy |
|
Goldenseal |
Urtica |
|
Gypsywort |
Witch hazel |
|
Horehound |
Wood betony |
|
Horsetail |
Wormwood |
|
Lavender |
Yarrow |
|
Liquorice |
Yerba buena |
Horticulture
|
Honey |
Tea Leaves |
|
Turfgrass |
Maple Syrup |
|
Hops |
Annual Bedding Plants
|
Begonia |
Coleus |
|
Dahlia |
Geranium |
|
Impatiens |
Marigold |
|
Pansy |
Petunia |
|
Snapdragon |
Vegetable Transplants |
Potted Flowering Plants
|
African Violet |
Lily |
|
Azalea |
Orchid |
|
Florist Chrysanthemum |
Poinsettia |
|
Flowering Bulbs |
Rose |
|
Hydrangea |
Potted Herbaceous Perennials
|
Astilbe |
Hosta |
|
Columbine |
Ivy |
|
Coreopsis |
Ornamental Grasses |
|
Daylily |
Peony |
|
Delphinium |
Phlox |
|
Dianthus |
Rudbeckia |
|
Garden Chrysanthemum |
Salvia |
|
Heuchera |
Vinca |
Cut Flowers
|
Carnation |
Chrysanthemum |
|
Delphinium |
Gladiolus |
|
Iris |
Lily |
|
Orchid |
Snapdragon |
|
Tulip |
Rose |
Cut Cultivated Greens
|
Asparagus Fern |
Holly |
|
Coniferous Evergreens |
Leatherleaf Fern |
|
Eucalyptus |
Pittosporum |
Foliage Plants
|
Anthurium |
Bromeliad |
|
Cacti |
Dieffenbachia |
|
Dracaena |
Fern |
|
Ficus |
Ivy |
|
Palm |
Philodendron |
|
Spathipyllum |
Christmas Trees
|
Balsam Fir |
Living Christmas Tree |
|
Blue Spruce |
Noble Fir |
|
Douglas Fir |
Scots Pine |
|
Fraser Fir |
White Pine |
Deciduous Flowering Trees
|
Crabapple |
Dogwood |
|
Crepe Myrtle |
Flowering Pear |
|
Flowering Cherry |
Flowering Plum |
|
Hawthorn |
Magnolia |
|
Redbud |
Service Berry |
Broadleaf Evergreens
|
Azalea |
Boxwood |
|
Cotoneaster |
Euonymus |
|
Holly |
Pieris |
|
Rhododendron |
Viburnum |
Deciduous Shade Trees
|
Ash |
Elm |
|
Honey Locust |
Linden |
|
Maple |
Oak |
|
Poplar |
Sweetgum |
|
Sycamore |
Landscape Conifers
|
Aborvitae |
Juniper |
|
Chamaecyparis |
Pine |
|
Fir |
Spruce |
|
Hemlock |
Yew |
Deciduous Shrubs
|
Barberry |
Buddleia |
|
Hibiscus |
Hydrangea |
|
Rose |
Spirea |
|
Viburnum |
Weigela |
List of Ineligible Commodities
|
Alfalfa |
Peanuts |
|
Amylomaize |
Pod corn |
|
Barley (including malting barley) |
Primrose |
|
Buckwheat |
Quinoa |
|
Camelina |
Rapeseed oil |
|
Canola |
Range grasses |
|
Canola Oil |
Rice |
|
Clover |
Rye |
|
Cotton |
Safflower meal |
|
Cottonseed oil |
Safflower oil |
|
Dairy products |
Shellfish (marine or freshwater) |
|
Dent corn |
Sorghum |
|
Eggs |
Soybean oil |
|
Field corn |
Soybeans |
|
Fish (marine or freshwater) |
Striped Maize |
|
Flax |
Sugar beets |
|
Flaxseed |
Sugarcane |
|
Flint corn |
Sunflower oil |
|
Flower corn |
Tobacco |
|
Hay |
Tofu |
|
Hemp |
Triticale |
|
Livestock products |
Waxy corn |
|
Millet |
Wheat |
|
Mustard seed oil |
White corn |
|
Oats |
Wild Rice |
|
Peanut oil |