Who’s on First? Sorting out crop categories around the world

Imagine calling up your friends for a weekend game of football, only to show up with a soccer ball while they’re ready to throw touchdowns. Or ordering a 'biscuit' and getting a cookie when all you wanted was a fluffy bread roll with your tea or coffee.

In the agtech world, talking about crop categories can feel just as bewildering. What’s a row crop in the US might be a broadacre crop in Australia. Or in the US it could be corn—except Australia doesn’t grow much corn, and the rest of the world calls it maize.

It’s like a business game of Abbott and Costello’s classic "Who’s on First?" sketch.

I thought it was just me, but it turns out crop categories can lead to hilarious (and sometimes problematic) misunderstandings. So here’s my attempt to help sort things out.

Three main ways crops are categorized

When navigating the agtech world, it's crucial to understand that the way crops are categorized isn't just regional trivia—these definitions affect how technologies are applied, markets are valued, and opportunities are assessed. Here are the three most common ways I’ve seen crops be categorized, though even these vary by region.

By Agronomic Characteristics (e.g., planting style, growth pattern)

• Row crops (USA, Canada, Brazil): Crops planted in rows for easy mechanized management
• Broadacre crops (Australia): Crops grown over large areas, including cereals and oilseeds.
• Permanent crops (USA, Australia, Canada): Long-lived crops like trees (fruits and nuts) and vines, which keep producing year after year.

By Market or Economic Value

• Commodity crops: Big staples like corn, soy, cotton, wheat, and canola/OSR that are traded on a global scale.
• Specialty crops: Often higher-value crops like fruits, vegetables, and nuts. The US and Canada use this a lot, but in Australia, these are lumped into "horticulture."
• High-value crops: A term often used interchangeably with specialty crops, highlighting their premium status in most markets.
• Horticulture: In Australia, "horticulture" or “hort” can cover both low- and high-value vegetable and fruit crops, from broccoli to avocados. In the US, “horticulture” typically refers to non-crop production like bushes and ornamentals.

By Harvest Cycle or Timing

• Annual crops: Grown and harvested within a single season (think wheat or soy).
• Perennial crops: Crops that keep producing over multiple seasons (e.g., grapes, almonds).

Geographic breakdown of crop categories?

Within the above are plenty of other implied and confusing nuances, like how most row crops are sold as commodity crops and grown with a focus on yield maximization. Yet, cotton is a row crop where quality is more in focus. Not to mention that most crops, from trees to potatoes, actually grow in rows. Or that rice, coffee, and wine are all chameleons that fit several classifications, depending on the market.

So, here’s an attempt at actually using these terms in the ways I tend to hear them across some main geographies – I look forward to hearing where you disagree, and bonus points for anyone who can make a venn diagram to show this confusion visually!?

Canada

• Row crops - corn, soy, canola, etc.
• Specialty crops - vegetables
• Permanent crops - subcategory of specialty; trees (think apples, not maples—those trees make syrup, which is a whole other category Canadians take very seriously)

Australia

• Broadacre crops - canola, wheat, cotton, barley, etc.
• Horticultural crops (“hort”) - veggies, fruits, nuts
• Orchards - subcategory of hort; nuts and fruits that grow on trees
• Stone fruit - subcategory of orchards; fruits with pits, e.g., plums, peaches

USA

• Row crops - corn, soy, cotton, etc
• Speciality / high value crops - fruits and veggies
• Tree crops - subcategory of specialty; fruits and nuts that grow on trees
• And for fun, in California, veggies sometimes get promoted to “field crops” even though conventionally that term is more synonymous with row crops!

Crop categories, so what??

Ultimately, whether you’re a startup pitching your solution or an investor assessing TAMs and SAMs, these regional differences matter. Miscommunication around crop categories could lead to pitching the wrong market—or worse, misunderstanding the entire opportunity.

So next time you hear "row crop," don’t just nod along—ask, "Whose row crop are we talking about?" Because in the end, crops don’t just demand specific soil and sunlight—they insist on having their very own vocabulary too.

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