In Saturday’s edition of The News, staff writer Julie Riddle shared the joys and tribulations of working as a farmers market farmer in Northeast Michigan.

“It’s a lot of work, but it’s good work,” said beekeeper Jerry Rutherford.

“Are you going to live on it? No,” baker Evelyn Glomski told Riddle. “But it’s what you like.”

We don’t believe we overstate to credit farmers as the backbone of America, creating countless jobs and producing the raw, natural materials that make up everything from the food on our table to the fuel some of us put in our cars.

And, by extension, small, local farmers count as the backbone of our community, literally bringing us the flavor of our back yards because that flavor comes from theirs.

So, we encourage all readers to take time to make it to a local farmers market this season. Doing so supports not only the farmers but also your community, keeping your neighbors employed and adding flavor to our quality of life.

Thank you, farmers, for all you do.