A group of small-scale organic farmers are joining forces to launch a new growers market specialising in locally grown fruits and veges.
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The market will be held for the first time on Christmas eve outside The Source Bulk Food shop, where they will be setting up stalls for Wagga farmers.
One of them is budding farmer Rick Storrier, who started his own farm three months ago under the mentorship of grizzled grower Paul Nolte.
Mr Nolte, who has been growing vegetables for 20 years for his Mates Gully restaurant, said Rick was proving to be a promising protege.
"I'm very grateful for Rick because I've been doing it for years and years on my own, so it's really nice to have a young bloke starting out. He's going to do great things," Mr Nolte said.
"The more people we get growing around Wagga the better. That way we can create good, regular markets for people to buy fresh fruit and veges."
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Mr Storrier comes from a family of broadacre irrigators, but said he wanted to move away from industrial-scale farming techniques that were harsher on the environment.
"I come from a very conventional farming background and I left that a bit disillusioned and frustrated with the practices we were doing in that industry," Mr Storrier said.
"I've wanted to do something that's clean, that's high quality, and doesn't have an adverse effect on the environment - if anything it works in harmony with the environment."
He is now learning the small-scale approach to growing vegetables by hand, picking up tips and tricks from Mr Nolte and the couple who run the Middle Sisters Farm in Marrar.
After they hold their first market on Christmas eve, the group plans to hold more regular markets in the future once they get more growers on board.
Mr Storrier said they had high hopes of reinvigorating the growers market scene, saying it was sorely lacking in Wagga.
"I was frustrated. I couldn't go down the street and get local, clean, good quality food regularly," Mr Storrier said.
"If we keep working with other farmers in the area I think we can do that together."
The first market will run from 8am to 12pm on Christmas eve, with more markets to be scheduled in the future.