Sales weren’t the problem for organic apples in 2019, but markets were, said Addie Pobst, organic integrity and logistics coordinator with Mount Vernon, Wash.-based Viva Tierra Organic Inc.

For apple marketers, “buy local” isn’t just a quaint trend; it’s a key to success, even if the definition of “local” varies from market to market.

Fresh apple holdings on Dec. 1, 2019 totaled 118.3 million bushels, or 15% higher than a year earlier.

The Commerce Department’s decision in May to withdraw an agreement suspending an anti-dumping investigation on Mexican tomatoes entering the U.S. set off a contentious debate on imported tomatoes in 2019.

U.S. fresh market apple holdings on Jan. 1 totaled 103.97 million (42-pound) bushels, according to the U.S. Apple Association.

West Mexico provides a large amount of the fruits and vegetables consumed in the U.S. each winter, and that includes an ever-expanding selection of organic produce.