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I heard a radio show (I think it was NPR) about this recently. "Speciality Crops" don't get much in the way of government subsidy. What's a "specialty crop"?
by geebee 19y ago
I heard a radio show (I think it was NPR) about this recently. "Speciality Crops" don't get much in the way of government subsidy.
What's a "specialty crop"? The general rule appears to bet that if it is a recognizable vegetable that would appear in it's natural form on your dinner table, it's a specialty crop. Interestingly, many of the nation's (and world's) specialty crops are either locally grown, or are shipped in from California.
If it gets processed into something no longer recognizable as food, it's not a specialty crop, and is most likely getting subsidized.
Ironically, the government recommended food pyramid is the inverse of government subsidies.
- markdc 19y agoOnly 1/3 of US ag is subsidized, but its a disgrace. The programs damage the environment, cheat consumers, and pay the wealthy. Off the top of my head, the major program crops are corn, wheat, soy beans, cotton (!), milk, peanuts, and sugar. More here: http://www.freetrade.org/node/609 http://www.freetrade.org/node/609 "in 2005, farms with average household incomes of $200,000 per year accounted for 9 percent of all farms but received 54 percent of government payments."