Florida agricultural production - the national footprint
Florida is a top-5 US state for agricultural production, with distinct seasonal flows: Florida citrus (Indian River, Polk, Lake, Hendry Counties - approximately $8B annual industry), Plant City Florida strawberry (US winter-strawberry capital), Ruskin / Immokalee / Palmetto winter tomato and bell pepper, Homestead Florida tropical fruit (avocado, mango, lychee, dragon fruit), Hastings Northeast Florida potato, Florida sugar-cane (Belle Glade, Clewiston), Florida cattle, poultry, and dairy.
Add commercial fisheries: Florida stone crab (Monroe County Keys, October-May season), Gulf of Mexico shrimp, Atlantic swordfish, specialty shellfish, and shore-pack seafood operations. Florida ranks top-5 nationally for commercial fishery value.
Each operation has distinct wood-packaging specifications. Wire-bound crates dominate field-pack and cold-storage flows. Wood bulk bins (apple-standard, potato-ventilated) dominate processor flows. Returnable harvest totes serve large-grower programs. Standard pallets handle finished-pack distribution. Dunnage and bracing handle export freight through Jaxport, Port Miami, Port Everglades.
Florida citrus belt - field-pack to packhouse to processor
The Florida citrus industry runs field-pack to packhouse flows that consume thousands of 1-5/9 bushel wire-bound crates per week during peak harvest (October-May). Our Central Florida yard pre-stages seasonal inventory for same-day delivery into Indian River County (Fort Pierce, Vero Beach), Polk County (Lake Wales, Winter Haven), Lake County (Lady Lake, Eustis), and Hendry County (LaBelle, Immokalee) citrus belts.
For OJ concentrate shipping (Tropicana Bradenton, Minute Maid Dunedin, Florida's Natural Lake Wales, specialty juice processors) we supply apple-standard bulk wood bins (48x48x30-36 inch, 24-25 bushel capacity).
For specialty-citrus export (Honeybell tangelo, Sumo mandarin, specialty grapefruit varietals to Asian and European markets via Jaxport), we supply ISPM-15 heat-treated and IPPC-stamped export wire-bound crates with bilingual documentation.
Plant City strawberry + Ruskin tomato + Homestead tropical
Plant City Florida strawberry (US winter-strawberry capital): specialty half-crate wire-bound sizes with cushion-insert construction, 50-80 lb capacity per crate. Peak season December-April. Book by August 1 for guaranteed on-time delivery at standard pricing.
Ruskin / Immokalee / Palmetto Florida winter tomato and bell pepper: 1-bushel and 1-5/9 bushel field-pack wire-bound crates. Peak season November-May. Standing-order programs with major Florida tomato and bell pepper shippers.
Homestead Florida tropical fruit (avocado, mango, lychee, dragon fruit): specialty-sized wire-bound crates on summer-fall peak programs. Minimum 500 crates for custom-sized runs. Specialty tropical export via Miami air cargo and Jaxport ocean container.
Hastings potato + Florida sugar + specialty crop + commercial fisheries
Hastings Northeast Florida potato (St Johns County, Flagler County area): ventilated 48x48x24-36 inch bulk wood bins for cold-storage shipping. 1,000-2,000 lb capacity. Peak season November-March.
Florida sugar-cane (Belle Glade, Clewiston, Palm Beach County): standard pallets for finished-sugar distribution. Specialty bulk bins for molasses and specialty-sugar operations.
Florida commercial fisheries - Monroe County stone crab (October-May peak), Gulf of Mexico shrimp (Franklin County, specialty Gulf-coast operations), Atlantic swordfish (Daytona-area deep-sea operations), specialty shellfish (Apalachicola oysters): wire-bound crates with ice-channel construction (drainage slots) for whole-fish and shell-fish shipping. Shore-pack to processor flow consumes thousands of crates per season.
Export via Jaxport, Port Miami, Port Everglades
For specialty-citrus and specialty-crop export (Asian and European markets): ISPM-15 heat-treated and IPPC-stamped wire-bound crates and bulk bins via Jaxport (dominant Latin American export) and Port Everglades (Caribbean + Europe transshipment).
For specialty-tropical export (Caribbean mango, Pacific-adjacent specialty crops): Port Miami container shipping with ISPM-15 stamping.
For specialty seafood export (specialty crabs, specialty shellfish to Asian markets): Miami air cargo with ISPM-15 stamped crates and bilingual documentation.
Full wood-product catalog for Florida agriculture and produce
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Get my quoteFrequently asked questions
When should I book Florida citrus wire-bound crates for the fall harvest?
Book by August 1 for guaranteed September-October delivery at standard pricing. September or later: expedited at premium with 5-10 day lead. For next-season programs book by June for best pricing and dedicated yard inventory.
How much does a 1-5/9 bushel wire-bound citrus crate cost in Florida?
$3.50-$6.75 delivered in Florida during peak season for in-grove field-pack. Our Central Florida yard stocks these during October-May for same-day delivery to Indian River, Polk, Lake, and Hendry County citrus belts.
Can returnable harvest totes work for Plant City strawberry operations?
Yes - specialty half-crate wire-bound with cushion-insert construction. Returnable-tote programs work for large strawberry shippers with recovered-from-packing-shed-to-field cycle. We quote tote inventory sizing per weekly volume and cycle count.
Do you supply ice-channel wire-bound crates for Florida stone crab (Monroe County)?
Yes - for Monroe County stone crab (Keys-based commercial fishery) we supply wire-bound crates with drainage-slot bottom construction for iced-cargo shipping. Add $1.50-$3.50 per crate for ice-channel. Peak season October-May.
What is the apple-standard bulk bin spec for Tropicana citrus processing?
48x48 outside dimensions, 30-36 inch tall, 2x6 side-walls, reinforced corners, integrated 4x4 runners, 24-25 bushel capacity (~900-1,000 lb product). Standard spec for Tropicana Bradenton, Minute Maid Dunedin, Florida's Natural Lake Wales, and specialty Florida citrus-juice processors.
Can you supply food-safe wood bins for Florida medical cannabis cultivation?
Yes - for regulated Florida medical cannabis cure, trim, and bulk processing we build with food-safe species, food-safe interior sealant (polyurethane or mineral oil), pest-resistant construction, no treated-wood components, and metrc-compliant RFID or bar-code marking per state law.
How fast can you deliver to the Hastings potato belt?
Northeast Florida (St Johns County, Hastings area, Flagler County) is covered with 1-2 day delivery from the Central Florida yard. For peak-season (November-March) pre-staged inventory ships same-day with by-2-PM-EST order. Same-day dispatch runs from the Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Miami, and Lakeland yards for orders within 75 miles, and next-day delivery is available statewide for orders placed by 2 PM EST.
Can wire-bound crates ship Florida citrus to Europe or Asia?
Yes - ISPM-15 heat-treated and IPPC-stamped wire-bound crates ship Florida citrus to European and Asian destinations in ocean containers (via Jaxport, Port Miami, Port Everglades). APHIS-registered facility stamps IPPC. Add $0.75-$2.00 per crate for stamp. Bilingual documentation standard.
What is the typical cycle life for a returnable harvest tote in Florida?
For reinforced construction and large-grower return-and-reuse programs: 10-25 cycles depending on handling. For field-pack 1-bushel and 1-5/9 bushel crates: typically 1-5 cycles before retirement (most are consumed in the harvest-to-packhouse-to-cold-storage flow).
Can you build custom-sized crates for Homestead tropical fruit growers?
Yes - for Homestead avocado, Pine Island mango, specialty lychee and dragon fruit we build to-dimension wire-bound crates on seasonal pre-order. Minimum 500 crates for custom; smaller for prototype runs. Lead time 10-20 business days from drawing approval. Specialty tropical export via Miami air cargo and Jaxport ocean container.
Updated 2026-10-07