Soft commodity Soft commodity Soft commodities, or softs, are commodities such as coffee, cocoa, sugar, corn, wheat, soybean, fruit and livestock. The term generally refers to commodities that are grown, rather than mined; the latter (such as oil, copper and gold) are known as hard commodities. Soft commodities play a major part in the futures market. They are used by farmers wishing to lock-in the future prices of their crops, by commercial purchasers of the products, and by speculative investors seeking a profit. Sometimes the term "soft" is restricted to commodities which are identified as primarily tropical, such as coffee, cocoa, sugar,
Commodity status of animals which Torssonen calls "sellfare," are "producible and salable at various points in the commodity chain," subject to competition like any other commodity. Commodity status of animals The commodity status of animals refers to the legal status as property of most non-human animals, particularly farmed animals, working animals and animals in sport, and their use as objects of trade. In the United States, Free-roaming animals ("ferae naturae") are (broadly) held in trust by the state; only if captured can be claimed as personal property. Animals regarded as commodities may be bought, sold, given away, bequeathed, killed, and used as commodity producers: