cash crop

American  

[kash krop] / ˈkæʃ ˈkrɒp /

noun

1. any crop that is considered easily marketable, as wheat or cotton.

2. a crop for direct sale in a market, as distinguished from a crop for use as livestock feed or for other purposes.

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cash crop British  

noun

1. a crop grown for sale rather than for subsistence

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Etymology

Origin of cash crop

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Example Sentences

Canadian officials traveled to China last year to persuade Beijing to remove hefty tariffs on Canadian canola, or rapeseed, which is a major cash crop for farmers in western Canada.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 7, 2026

Today, the Salinas Valley’s biggest cash crop is strawberries, accounting for more than 20% of Monterey County’s $4.9-billion annual production value from agriculture.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2025

Just as in Kentucky, the devastation ripped an important cash crop away from rural mountain communities, spurring on city-bound migration as people fled withering agrarian economies.

From Salon • Dec. 18, 2023

Even then, Arbuckle said, it can be hard to convince farmers to give cover crops a try because, despite the significant environmental benefits, a small drop in cash crop yield can mean a big cost.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 2, 2023

Hardly enough for a cash crop, but they were learning, and in another year, after another harvest, they would be experienced old farmers and sugarers, they told each other.

From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson