The Agricultural Sector and Pallets: How Wood Packaging Helps Keep America Fed

Almost everything we eat comes on a wood pallet. The past, present, and future of the agricultural supply chain ride on this undersung workhorse.

It’s early morning as the sun rises over the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, and workers are already busy. Rows of crisp, freshly harvested romaine lettuce are tightly packed directly into cartons and immediately stacked onto wooden pallets in the field. These pallets, loaded six or seven feet high, will be vacuum-cooled to 34 degrees within an hour or two of harvest and then loaded onto refrigerated trucks for delivery to distribution centers across the country.

Now, let’s step inside a Florida citrus packing shed. The air is heavy with humidity, typical for a summer morning in central Florida, as the fans work to keep the packing area comfortable. There’s a faint, earthy smell of fresh oranges mingled with the scent of pine from the harvest bins, just brought in from the groves. In the background, automated machines whir as robotic arms swiftly place cartons of oranges onto new 48x40s.

The contrast between field pack and shed pack operations is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the diversity of agricultural products and wood packaging solutions required to optimize their transport.

A Legacy of Wood Pallets and Packaging in Agriculture

Wooden packaging has long been integral to American agriculture crates. barrels, and, later, bins and pallets have proven crucial for supply chain success. As farming became increasingly mechanized over the mid-1900s, smaller handheld containers gave way to the unitized handling of harvest bins and pallets. This shift resulted in massive benefits, including dramatically faster loading and unloading, more dense storage, fuller trailers, labor cost reductions, and less product damage. The positive impacts were profound.

By the mid-20th century, wood pallet usage had become ubiquitous, with the 48×40-inch standard pallet size, already popular in grocery, emerging as the produce industry norm by the mid-1990s. The standardized footprint brought even more benefits, such as more efficient storage, transportation, and warehouse handling. To be certain, wood continues to dominate the pallet industry today, with over 90% of all pallets in circulation made from wood.

Key Considerations for Agricultural Pallets

Agricultural pallets must meet specific requirements to function effectively for a diverse range of agricultural products:

• Load Capacity: Pallets in agriculture often support heavy loads, ranging from 1,500 to 2,500 pounds or more. Unit loads of oranges, for example, can be extremely heavy.
• Durability: Pallets are exposed to dirt, moisture, and extreme handling conditions, especially in field pack operations. Durability ensures that pallets hold up through the entire harvest and shipping process.
• Consistent Quality: As the fresh produce supply chain has continued to evolve, pallets must be of consistently good quality to meet the ever-more-stringent needs of warehouse storage systems. Additionally, HT pallets are required for exports to countries other than Canada.
• Ventilation and Drainage: Many types of fresh produce, including citrus and onions, require ventilation to prevent spoilage. Slatted pallets and bins allow airflow, reducing the risk of mold and rot during storage and transportation. The slatted configuration facilitates drainage for iced products such as broccoli and corn.

Another unique aspect of agriculture is the logistics of pallet delivery. Harvest can require large volumes of pallets in a short period. Pallet suppliers must carefully coordinate with growers to meet these high-volume requirements in a timely manner.

Harvest Bins: Slotted vs. Closed Wall

In addition to pallets, wooden harvest bins play an essential role in agriculture, especially for large and bulky crops. Aside from custom options, there are two main types of harvest bins:

• Slotted Bins: These feature open slats that promote airflow, vital for products like citrus or onions requiring ventilation to prevent spoilage.
• Closed Wall Bins: These provide more protection for crops like sweet potatoes, paste tomatoes, nuts, or other products that don’t require as much airflow but need extra shielding from external elements​.

Both types of bins are built for durability and are designed to handle the rigors of harvest and transport. They are stackable and can be quickly loaded onto trucks for movement from the field to processing facilities.

Wood pallets and bins play a critical role in keeping America fed. Whether it’s the field pack lettuce operations of Yuma, Arizona, the shed pack citrus facilities of central Florida, or the sweet potato fields of North Carolina, wood packaging supports the safe and efficient movement of fresh produce. In an industry where product protection and precision timing are crucial, having the right wood pallet and bin supplier can be a huge advantage. At PalletOne, we have deep roots in the agricultural sector and look forward to hearing more about your packaging challenges. Let’s start a conversation.