Internship positions Coming SOON

Please check back for Summer 2023 opportunities

Vegetable Production and Garden Internship

The Farm Collaborative (formerly Aspen TREE) has served the Roaring Fork Valley community with summer programs and a Farm Park for 11 years. In 2019, after receiving 14 additional acres from the City of Aspen, we started an acre of vegetable production as well as planting a heritage orchard. We rotationally graze sheep and laying hens to increase the fertility and health of our pastures and produce eggs and meat.

At The Farm Collaborative, the goal of our vegetable and garden program is to produce sustainable food crops, build soil fertility, and create beautiful and abundant spaces for our kids camp, our staff, and the community. Our goal is to support food production in the larger farming community and help those with food insecurity. The destinations for our food is to our staff, a CSA for food insecure seniors, the Food Bank and the Aspen Farmers Market.

This internship is an opportunity to learn all aspects of food production from seed starting, growing transplants, soil preparation, planting, weeding and harvesting. You will learn about small-scale vegetable production techniques using hand tools and a small walk behind tractor. You will learn about a diverse vegetable operation and building soil fertility through spreading compost, compost teas, and cover cropping.

You will get hands-on experience turning raw produce into value added products. You will learn the skills of canning and fermentation from pickles to kimchi to jam.

You will also get hands-on experience selling produce, canned goods, meat and eggs at the farmers market and interacting with the community.

You will also learn about the establishment and upkeep of perennial gardens in our edible food forest we call the “Farm Park”.

We grow everything from high elevation outdoor crops like broccoli, greens, cabbage and potatoes to tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers in our hot houses to perennials in our edible food forest gardens and tropical fruits in our four season dome.

In addition to working in the gardens and at the market you will have the opportunity to learn hands-on skills of operating a tractor, power tools, small construction projects, irrigation, weed and pest management, driving trailers, and maintenance of farm equipment.

You will also have the opportunity to collaborate with other departments on the farm including the livestock, infrastructure and educational programs. At the farm collaborative we strive to involve our kids from our kids camp in all programs at the farm and so you will get opportunities to involve and educate children about the farm and food systems.

*Disclaimer* Farming is hard work. It is not for everyone. We work hard and find the work very fulfilling. Sometimes we will work long hours, it is best to expect the unexpected and to be ready for anything at any time. We work hard but we have a lot of fun and we get to enjoy the surrounding mountains and outdoor opportunities around us on our days off. If you are up to the challenge, send us an application!

Other Information

Location: Cozy Point, Aspen, Colorado
Time Commitment: 16 weeks+ with flexible start dates from mid May/early June through late September/ Mid October, 40 hours or more/week.
Compensation: $200/week and a CSA share (20-40$ value) with produce, some lamb and eggs (usually the slightly cracked ones). Additional option for $100/week with possible housing included.
Application Deadline: Positions are open until filled.

Requirements:

No previous farming experience necessary
Strong, demonstrable work ethic
Curiosity, commitment to treating internship as learning experience
Flexibility, patience, and a positive attitude
Ability to safely and successfully perform manual labor in varying weather conditions at an altitude over 7,000ft
Ability to lift 50 lbs or more
Interest in sustainable agriculture
Flexibility to do multiple on-farm tasks
The intern must arrange their own transportation to the internship

Now accepting Applications!
Application Instructions

Please attach a copy of your current resume which includes your education and employment history, as well as two references - one that can vouch for your positive attitude, work ethic, or any prior farming experience (an advisor or prior employer).

Additionally, please answer the following questions:

In a short essay, please write about why you want this position. Please describe your personal and/or professional goals, and how this position is helpful or relevant. Please include a bit about your relationship with food and your interest in organic growing.
What would be your tentative start and end dates? What other obligations will you have during the growing season?

Please email completed applications to Francesca@thefarmcollaborative.org. After receiving your completed application, if it is determined that you may be a good fit for the position, we will schedule a phone interview.

Summer Livestock & Systems Internship
(1-2 Positions)

The Farm Collaborative (formerly Aspen TREE) has served the community with summer programs and a Farm Park for 11 years. In 2019, after receiving 14 additional acres from the City of Aspen, we started an acre of vegetable production as well as planting a heritage orchard. We rotationally graze sheep and laying hens to increase the fertility and health of our pastures and produce, eggs, and meat.

At The Farm Collaborative, the goal of our livestock program is to support the relationship between animals, land, and people. We see the farm as a whole system in which all parts have a purpose. Our main goals are to build soil and to provide a good life for all our animals. We are proud of raising meat that is ethical, full of life and nutrients, and in general adds to the health of our bodies and our community. The livestock we raise helps to feed those who are part of our CSA, our staff, the Aspen farmers market and the community at large.

This internship will work closely with sheep, chickens, and restorative land management practices such as rotational grazing and establishment of perennial pastures and hay production.

The internship is an opportunity to learn all aspects of animal husbandry, from birthing to slaughter to everything in between such as housing, feeding, soil building and playing with poop. There will be slaughter days and butcher days which will give you experience understanding the nuances of meat production.

You will learn how to rotationally graze poultry and large undulates with the purpose of mimicking natural systems. You will learn how to plant and maintain perennial pastures for grazing and hay production. You will learn how to build and improve systems for small-scale animal husbandry. Animals you will work with are a small flock of sheep, flock of laying hens, dwarf goats, alpacas, rabbits and possibly turkeys.

In addition to working with the livestock you will gain the skills of operating a tractor, working with power tools, small construction projects, irrigation of a small orchard and pastures, weed and pest management, driving trailers, and maintenance of farm equipment. And you will get really good at digging holes!

You will also get hands-on experience selling meat, eggs, produce and canned goods at the farmers market and interacting with consumers.

You will have the opportunity to collaborate with other departments on the farm including the vegetable production and permaculture gardens, infrastructure and educational programs. At the farm collaborative we strive to involve our kids in all programs at the farm and so you will get opportunities to involve and educate children about the farm and food systems.

*Disclaimer* Farming is hard work. It is not for everyone. We work hard and find the work very fulfilling. Sometimes we will work long hours, so it is best to expect the unexpected and to be ready for anything at any time. We work hard but we have a lot of fun. If you are up to the challenge, send us an application!

Other Information

Location: Cozy Point, Aspen, Colorado
Time Commitment: 16 weeks+ with flexible start dates from mid May/early June through late September/ Mid October, 40 hours or more/week.
Compensation: $200/week and a CSA share with produce, some lamb and eggs (usually the slightly cracked ones). Additional option for $100/week with possible housing included.
Application Deadline: Positions are open until filled.

Requirements:

No previous farming experience necessary
Strong, demonstrable work ethic
Willingness to work and collaborate with a team
Curiosity, commitment to treating internship as learning experience
Flexibility, patience, and a positive attitude
Ability to safely and successfully perform manual labor in varying weather conditions at an altitude over 7,000ft
Ability to lift 50 lbs or more
Interest and desire to pursue sustainable agriculture
Flexibility to do multiple on-farm tasks
The intern must arrange their own transportation to the internship

Now accepting Applications!
Application Instructions

Additionally, please answer the following questions:

In a short essay, please write about why you want this position. Please describe your personal and/or professional goals, and how this position is helpful or relevant. Please include a bit about your relationship with food and your interest in organic growing and livestock production.
What would be your tentative start and end dates? What other obligations will you have during the growing season?

Please email completed applications to branner@thefarmcollaborative.org. After receiving your completed application, if it is determined that you may be a good fit for the position, we will schedule a phone interview.

Branner Grimsley
Livestock & Land Manager

Farmer Incubator Internship*

*We will be accepting Farmer Incubator Intership
applications Spring 2022, exact dates TBD.

Location: Cozy Point, Aspen, Colorado

Time Commitment: Flexible start dates from mid May/early June through late September/ Mid October with a farm business plan to be completed during the winter months. Additional test-plot implementation optional during a second spring/ summer.

Compensation: $200/week during summer and a CSA share with produce, some lamb and eggs (usually the slightly cracked ones). Additional option for $100/week with possible housing included. Second year possible part time employment to provide a financial buffer while working as a farmer incubator based on first year’s performance.

Application Deadline: Positions are open until filled.

Requirements:

No previous farming experience necessary
Strong, demonstrable work ethic
Curiosity, commitment to treating internship as learning experience
Flexibility, patience, and a positive attitude
Ability to safely and successfully perform manual labor in varying weather conditions at an altitude of 7,000ft
Interest in organic agriculture
Flexibility to do multiple on-farm tasks.
The intern must arrange their own transportation to the internship.

This more extensive internship will span from May or June-October as a farm intern with the possibility of implementing a test plot during a second summer. During this first year the intern’s tasks will include soil building and cover cropping, starting and planting vegetables, and canning and preserving excess produce for the market. Interns will learn seeding, planting, weeding, harvesting, and preserving. During this time the intern will engage in two research projects driven partially by the interests of the intern but that may include; cultivation methods, soil fertility, carbon sequestration, harvest densities or marketing. The intern will present these topics to the Farm Collaborative Staff during staff meetings. This first summer on the farm will expose the intern to daily farm work and give them an idea of different farming methods. Interns will also take park in infrastructure upkeep and animal husbandry including rotating chicken and sheep, mucking chicken coops, fixing fencing and irrigation, digging trenches, and pulling thistle.

The second stage of the internship will involve planning and implementing their own incubator farm. During the fall or winter the intern will work to create a farm business plan and seeding and planting plan with the Production Manager of The Farm Collaborative. This will include documenting the calculations on what to plant, projected farm harvests and sales, seed purchases and orders based on projected plantings, and research on market opportunities. The intern will be able to do these projects in conjunction with the Production Manager and will have access to the Farm Collaborative’s harvest and sales data from previous years as a baseline. This second year the intern will not receive a stipend for time spent on their personal test plot, but they will have the option to work part time for the farm collaborative to supplement their pilot year.

If the intern chooses, they will then be able to take and implement this farm plan during the subsequent summer. The Farm Collaborative will provide allocated space for this farmer as a test plot, space at the Aspen Farmers’ Market booth, and access to wholesale or CSA connections forged by the Farm Collaborative. They will be able to utilize the farm equipment provided by the Farm Collaborative, including small greenhouse structures, seeding materials, and machinery. This final project collaboration will culminate in a comparison of the planting, harvesting, and business plan projections to the actual harvests and sales achieved during that year. It will give the new farmer a taste of what a real farm year would be like without having to make the big investments.

Application Instructions*

Please attach a copy of your current resume which includes your education and employment history, as well as three reference - one that can vouch for your positive attitude, work ethic, or any prior farming experience (an advisor or prior employer).

Additionally, please answer the following questions:

Why do you want this position? Please describe your personal and/or professional goals, and how this position is helpful or relevant. Please include a bit about your relationship with food and your interest in organic growing.
What main aspects of becoming a farmer incubator drive you to participate in this program?
What would be your tentative start and end dates? What other obligations will you have during the growing season?

Thank you for your interest!

Please contact us with questions.