What Is a Specialty Crop?
The Specialty Competitiveness Act of 2004 defines specialty crops as "fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and nursery crops (including floriculture)." Currently, foreign producers of specialty crops enjoy a significant advantage over domestic growers. Does this Spark an idea?
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History
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Traditionally, American agriculture incentive programs have focused on grain crops such as corn and wheat, and on multi-use crops such as soybeans and peanuts. This resulted in disproportionally high consumption of these crops over more nutritious choices, and also in a price advantage to foreign producers of specialty crops.
Benefits
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Specialty crops such as fruits and vegetables contain larger amounts of vitamins and minerals than grain crops. Tree nuts are sustainable crops that do not require seasonal replanting and, therefore, do not contribute to soil depletion and erosion. Specialty crops positively contribute to healthy diets and weight management.
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Significance
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Because of traditional agricultural incentive programs, foreign producers of specialty crops--particularly tree nuts, fruits and vegetable--enjoy an advantage in American supermarkets. This advantage contributes to the American international trade imbalance.
Considerations
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Adult and childhood obesity presents a real public health crisis in America. In response to this crisis, the USDA released an updated version of its food pyramid. Specialty crops represent a major component of this healthy diet model.
Solutions
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Current federal farm programs restrict the use of subsidized farmland to traditional crops, penalizing farmers who grow specialty crops. Suspending or lifting these restrictions would likely have a positive effect on American farmers' ability to compete in the specialty crop market.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Crop rows image by Jim Mills from Fotolia.com
