The Butler County Farmers Cooperative market off South Chestnut Street in the city is observing the 50th anniversary of its incorporation this year, despite its scale of operation having declined over the past dozen years or so.

But despite its reduced scope of business, in part because of many younger farmers establishing markets on their own farms, the quality and quantity of products still available at the farmers market make a visit to it worth the trip to the market shelter in the Island section of the city.

The market is open from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays from May until as late as November. Later in the growing season, when crops such as tomatoes and sweet corn are ready to sell, the market adds early evening hours on Wednesdays.

The area farmers who sell items such as vegetables, fruits, eggs and meats at the cooperative's pavilion provide area residents with what best can be described as the freshest of the fresh — just like what is available at the markets that have been established on some farms.

As Tom Rea, the cooperative's secretary-treasurer, pointed out in an article in Monday's Butler Eagle, one of the things the market provides to shoppers is an understanding of where the food they are buying has come from, as well as assurance of its safety and purity.

"One of our first priorities is that it's local," Rea said. "And, if it's not local, it's at least Pennsylvania-grown."

The food scares that dominated the news several times over the past couple of years have caused more people to seek out locally grown agricultural products; increasing numbers of people are no longer indifferent about where products they are considering buying were grown.

The local farmers market remains committed to satisfying that growing attitude, and many city area residents are grateful for the opportunity to buy from the people who actually grow the products.

It makes sense to support the local farming community that is committed to providing the best products possible, just as it helps the local economy when people shop at local stores.

As Monday's article noted, the pavilion off South Chestnut Street wasn't the city's first farmers market location in the years since about 1920, when the first market is believed to have been established. The first market location was Diamond Park across from the county courthouse; the market later moved to a site near the intersection of North Main and West Brady streets.

The current site is a good location because it offers ample parking and because the area doesn't have Main Street's traffic congestion.

Unfortunately, the current site sometimes has been a target for vandalism.

People young and not so young should allow the farmers market pavilion to be a facility having the look of a community asset, not the look of a monument to disrespect, deterioration and neglect.

The pavilion should be a source of welcome to the farmers who continue to sell their products there. It should also be attractive to shoppers who stop to buy the farmers' fresh produce and other products.

Hopefully, 50 years from now, the farmers cooperative market will continue to sell Butler County-grown products, the result of more farmers' interest in using the pavilion as a venue for marketing their products. Meanwhile, it is to be hoped that there will be a steady increase in the number of people who will make a visit to the market a part of their Saturday and/or Wednesday schedule.

The market is to be congratulated for its many years of service to Butler area residents. But even more so, it should be congratulated for the commitment to quality and freshness that is at the foundation of its operation — and a concept receiving renewed attention.