A special crop in BC is: a new commodity, a new use for an established commodity, or an established crop new to another region. They generally are commodities that are not part of mainstream agriculture, (i.e. hay production, potatoes, tree fruits, grapes, and grain, etc.). Examples include Hemp, Ginseng, Sea Buckthorn, Saint John’s Wort, Sage, Echinacea and Culinary Herbs
These special crops are typically on small acreage (owned or leased) and often involve some value adding, with the potential of substantial on farm value adding. They are mainly organic by choice, but are also organic by default in most cases as no pesticides are registered.
Special crops fall into non-traditional use areas such as: aromatherapy, essential oils, herbal medicines, nutraceuticals, functional foods, fibre, floriculture, craft products and specialty oils, and generally have little or no marketing structures in place.
They are harvested or grown in three systems:
Excerpt: BCMAL Farm Practices, InfoBasket and About the Industry
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