{"id":4722,"date":"2025-09-10T20:37:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T20:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wyoextension.org\/specialty-crop\/?page_id=4722"},"modified":"2025-10-01T16:03:39","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T16:03:39","slug":"specialty-crops","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wyoextension.org\/specialty-crop\/specialty-crops\/","title":{"rendered":"Specialty Crops"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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List of Specialty Crops<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Specialty crops eligible to be included in 2024 Wyoming Specialty Crop Directory are (1) vegetables; (2) fruits and tree nuts; (3) culinary herbs and spices; (4) medicinal herbs; (5) edible horticultural products, including honey and hops; (6) deciduous flowering trees that produce edible fruit; and (7) deciduous shrubs that produce edible fruit.<\/p>

Eligible plants must be cultivated or managed and used by people for food and medicinal purposes. Processed products shall consist of greater than 50% of the specialty crop by weight, exclusive of added water. Common examples in the directory are jams, jellies, infused honeys, sauces (e.g., barbecue, hot, and pasta), salsa, pickled vegetables, fermented vegetables (e.g., kimchi and sauerkraut), fruit pies, and wine.<\/p>

Because this directory is focused on edible specialty crops, it does not include businesses involved in other areas of specialty crop production, such as floriculture and turfgrass.<\/p>

The directory also does not include agricultural products not defined as \u2018specialty crops\u2019 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In Wyoming, this would include such commodities as livestock and dairy products, eggs, and agricultural crops such as alfalfa, barley, field corn, hemp, sugar beets, and wheat.<\/p>

However, the directory DOES LIST<\/strong> non-eligible commodities and non-edible specialty crops if a business produces those in addition to edible specialty crops.<\/p>

The tables below list plants commonly considered edible specialty crops by the USDA as of August 2024, including vegetables, fruits and tree nuts, culinary herbs and spices, medicinal herbs, edible horticultural crops, deciduous flowering trees that produce edible fruit, and deciduous shrubs that produce edible fruits. The below list comes directly from the USDA website: \u201cWhat is a Specialty Crop?\u201d Some of the listed vegetables (e.g., melon, pepper, pumpkin, and tomato) are actually fruits. More information is at https:\/\/www.ams.usda.gov\/services\/grants\/scbgp\/specialty-crop\/.<\/p>

IMPORTANT notes to consider:<\/strong> when choosing which species to plant, do your homework. Will the plant survive (thrive) in your area? To help answer that question, check the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map for Wyoming (see \u2018Resources\u2019 section)? Is the plant easy to grow, or fussy (see \u2018Resources\u2019)? What kind of soil is preferred, and what about watering, fertilization, and pollination. Seeds come with planting instructions, so carefully read those. Finally, some of the listed herbs can be incredibly invasive<\/strong>, so keep that at the forefront when researching species. The last thing you want is plants that are spreading across your property, and onto the neighbor\u2019s land.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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1. VEGETABLES<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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  • artichoke<\/li>
  • asparagus<\/li>
  • bean (snap, green, lima, dry edible)<\/li>
  • beet (table)<\/li>
  • broccoli\/broccoli raab<\/li>
  • Brussels sprouts<\/li>
  • cabbage (including Chinese)<\/li>
  • carrot<\/li>
  • cauliflower<\/li>
  • celeriac<\/li>
  • celery<\/li>
  • chickpeas<\/li>
  • chive<\/li>
  • collards (including kale)<\/li>
  • cucumber<\/li>
  • edamame (immature green soybeans)<\/li>
  • eggplant<\/li>
  • endive<\/li>
  • garlic<\/li>
  • horseradish<\/li>
  • kohlrabi<\/li>
  • leek<\/li>
  • lentils<\/li>
  • lettuce<\/li>
  • melon (all types)<\/li>
  • mushroom (cultivated)<\/li>
  • mustard and other greens<\/li>
  • okra<\/li>
  • onion<\/li>
  • Opuntia (prickly pear)<\/li>
  • parsley<\/li>
  • parsnip<\/li>
  • pea (garden, dry edible)<\/li>
  • pepper<\/li>
  • potato<\/li>
  • pumpkin<\/li>
  • radish (all types)<\/li>
  • rhubarb<\/li>
  • rutabaga<\/li>
  • salsify<\/li>
  • spinach<\/li>
  • squash (summer and winter)<\/li>
  • sweet corn<\/li>
  • sweet potato<\/li>
  • Swiss chard<\/li>
  • taro<\/li>
  • tomato (including tomatillo)<\/li>
  • turnip<\/li>
  • watermelon<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    \"\"<\/figure>

    Sweet corn is listed as a vegetable on the USDA specialty crop list, whereas field corn (commonly used for livestock feed) is not a specialty crop. Is corn a vegetable or fruit? Do an online search, and you\u2019ll find some interesting facts. Pictured is corn from Alcova Sweet Corn in Natrona County.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    \"Squash<\/figure>

    Among the specialty crops defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture are vegetables and fruits. Pictured are pumpkins and squash from the Gallagher Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch in Park County. The USDA lists pumpkins and squash as \u201cvegetables.\u201d Trivia question: are pumpkins and squash vegetables or fruits? The typical answer might be: a pumpkin is a fruit, whereas a squash is a vegetable. The correct answer: both are fruits, because they contain seeds and develop from the flower-producing part of a plant.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    \"\"<\/figure>

    Lettuces and other leafy greens are among the long list of vegetables on the USDA specialty crop list.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    2. FRUITS AND TREE NUTS<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    • almond<\/li>\n
    • apple<\/li>\n
    • apricot<\/li>\n
    • Aronia (chokeberry)<\/li>\n
    • avocado<\/li>\n
    • banana<\/li>\n
    • blackberry<\/li>\n
    • blueberry<\/li>\n
    • breadfruit<\/li>\n
    • cacao<\/li>\n
    • cashew<\/li>\n
    • citrus<\/li>\n
    • cherimoya<\/li>\n
    • cherry<\/li>\n
    • chestnut (for nuts)<\/li>\n
    • coconut<\/li>\n
    • coffee<\/li>\n
    • cranberry<\/li>\n
    • currant<\/li>\n
    • date<\/li>\n
    • feijoa fruit<\/li>\n
    • fig<\/li>\n
    • filbert (hazelnut)<\/li>\n
    • gooseberry<\/li>\n
    • grape (including raisin)<\/li>\n
    • guava<\/li>\n
    • kiwi<\/li>\n
    • litchi<\/li>\n
    • macadamia<\/li>\n
    • mango<\/li>\n
    • nectarine<\/li>\n
    • olive<\/li>\n
    • papaya<\/li>\n
    • passion fruit<\/li>\n
    • peach<\/li>\n
    • pear<\/li>\n
    • pecan<\/li>\n
    • persimmon<\/li>\n
    • pineapple<\/li>\n
    • pistachio<\/li>\n
    • plum (including prune)<\/li>\n
    • pomegranate<\/li>\n
    • quince<\/li>\n
    • raspberry<\/li>\n
    • strawberry<\/li>\n
    • Suriname cherry<\/li>\n
    • walnut<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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      \"\"<\/figure>

      Grapes are listed as fruits on the USDA specialty crop list. Pictured are clusters of Frontenac grapes at Mustang Mountain Vineyard and Winery in Big Horn County.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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      \"Jars<\/figure>

      Numerous listings in this directory offer products containing specialty crops, among them salsa, pickles, sauerkraut, barbecue sauces, jams, and jellies.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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      \"Baskets<\/figure>

      Raspberries are among the many berries listed as fruits on the USDA specialty crop list. These raspberries are from Linda\u2019s Fresh Produce and Raspberries in Washakie County.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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      3. CULINARY HERBS AND SPICES<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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