Specialty crop production is important to Mississippi’s economy. Specialty crops typically include horticulture crops, such as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, nursery crops, and floriculture.
Barnes and Myles (2017) recently measured the economic contribution of five of these crops to Mississippi’s economy: blueberries, honey, pecans, sweet potatoes, and watermelons. Results indicated this cluster of selected specialty crops contributes significantly to Mississippi’s economy:
This cluster of selected specialty crops also supported several economic sectors in Mississippi’s economy. Recipients of these benefits purchased goods and services from 10 other sectors, which created jobs for local residents, who spent a portion of their disposable income on goods and services in the state. The top 10 sectors supported by this cluster’s economic activities in Mississippi include:
Numerous businesses in many sectors of Mississippi’s economy are linked together as suppliers and purchasers of goods and services and benefit from agriculture, and specialty crop production in particular. Expansion of production for this cluster of selected specialty crops by 10 percent (about $14 million) could contribute an additional 193 jobs, $24 million in industry sales, and almost $17 million in gross regional product to the Mississippi economy.
Barnes, J. and A. Myles. 2017. “Local Food System Economies: How Selected Specialty Crops Contribute to Mississippi’s Economy.” Mississippi State University Extension, Forthcoming.
Specialty crops are defined by the USDA as “fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).” Specialty crops have a specific USDA category and definition to help producers market these products effectively. Specialty crops provide opportunities for farmers to grow on a wide variety of acreages, from small urban farms to large scale commodity-based specialty crop farms. Specialty crops contribute value to communities through providing healthy food, aesthetic and cultural values and opportunities for local economic development.
An important aspect to successful specialty crop production is sustainable pest and soil management. ATTRA’s pest-management resources take a wholistic approach to managing pests in specialty crops and utilizing pesticides as a last resort. The same goes for sustainable soil and fertility management for specialty crops. Incorporating proper rotations and cover cropping strategies are important components of sustainably managed specialty crop farms.
In this section, you’ll find practical ATTRA resources on specialty crops, ranging from sustainable and organic production practices to marketing and business management. Examples include herb production and marketing, high tunnel grape production, market gardening, sustainable orchard management, and more. Most of the resources within this section have embedded marketing and business management resources to not only help producers be successful at growing specialty crops but also in selling them. The resources come in multiple formats including publications, tutorials, podcasts, and videos. If you need more assistance, give one of our specialty crop specialist a call at 1-800-346-9140 or utilize the chat feature on the bottom corner of your screen.