Agriculture Apprentice- Livestock

Aspen Center for Environmental Studies

Agriculture Apprentice Livestock

The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental science education. Since 1968 ACES has inspired a lifelong commitment to the earth by providing innovative and immersive programming for all ages. We have three locations: Hallam Lake Rock Bottom Ranch and Catto Center at Toklat. Our programs focus on ecological literacy regenerative agriculture forest and ecosystem health land restoration and environmental leadership. Through this ACES meets our mission of educating for environmental responsibility.

Rock Bottom Ranch

Located in the mid-valley of Basalt CO Rock Bottom Ranch is a 113-acre site that dedicates approximately 70 acres to natural wildlands and about 35 acres to pasture-based rotationally grazed multi-species livestock systems and intensive low-till vegetable production. Rock Bottom Ranch also serves as an outdoor classroom for summer camps school groups and community education programs engaging visitors and staff alike with questions about how humanity interacts with and impacts our ecosystems through a lens of nature-based scientific exploration and food production.

The Agriculture Program aims to spark a community of food-educated citizens through the demonstration of forward-thinking environmentally socially and climate-aware agriculture and land stewardship practices. We seek to educate farmers on profitable scalable and replicable agriculture systems. Our livestock production raises sheep laying hens cattle broiler chickens turkeys rabbits and bees. Our vegetable production grows over 50 crops on our ⅔-acre of intensively spaced outdoor space and in our four-season extension structures.

Rock Bottom Ranchs livestock and vegetable products are featured at our summer dining events weekly farmers markets vegetable CSA and on-farm sales.

Our production farm and educational site is open to the public five days a week during the summer and offers farm tours youth and adult programs and dining events. Agricultural staff are primarily involved in a diverse array of production agriculture operations but also have the opportunity to participate in customer service events and educational experiences.

Position Summary

ACES Agriculture Apprenticeship is a hands-on learning and training program designed for individuals interested in pursuing a career in agriculture. This production-focused program exposes you to every aspect of the season from planning to production to sales with the intent of making you a competitive candidate for future agriculture operations. Upon completing this program apprentices will feel confident and knowledgeable in a variety of regenerative agriculture systems.

Educational Opportunities and Professional Development:

• During the season production responsibilities are complemented by additional learning opportunities via tours presentations workshops and trainings. Some of this additional programming may require limited evening obligations.
• Programming primarily takes place in the spring and fall and may include:
  • Presentations on various agricultural topics practices and methods including agriculture policy production planning and carbon sequestration;
  • Hands-on workshops offering exposure to subjects that could include floral arrangement welding small engine repair butchery and many others.
  • In-depth training on skills including tractor operation haying trailer driving manual transmission driving small power tools and others;
  • Tours of local farm and food operations;
  • Public speaking;
  • Events set up and execution.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

1) Livestock Production:

• Assist with the daily care of cattle sheep laying hens broilers turkeys and rabbits.
• Daily care includes providing feed and fresh water creating electric fencing paddocks and moving animals through a multi-species rotational grazing system. It also involves mucking out stalls and houses collecting and washing eggs and other tasks as needed.
• Participate in humane on-property slaughter of chickens and turkeys.
• Participate in evening chicken cratings through the summer.

2) Site Maintenance

• Assist with lawn care including mowing and weed whacking
• Assist with on-site trail maintenance
• Assist with maintenance of the ACES Habitat Garden including weeding planting and trail maintenance

Other Duties and Responsibilities:

1) Low-till Vegetable Production:

• Assist with vegetable production including: soil preparation seed propagation watering transplanting and cultivation.
• Assist with harvesting washing packaging and sales of final vegetable products.

2) Customer Service Events and Other Duties:

Provide a welcoming and educational environment to all guests.

• Lead public farm tours.
• Assist with leading and mentoring summer stewards.
• Assist with sales of produce and meat at local farmers markets and at the ranch. Farmers markets require longer work hours. CSA pick-up may require working in the evening.
• Participation in on-farm events including but not limited to dining events educational programs and farm tours.

• Select evening events are either compensated with comp time or an hourly pay.

• After hours on-call responsibilities will include chicken crating animal emergencies animal birthing or site maintenance issues.
• Contribute daily to a clean and organized site.

Qualifications:

Candidates must have the following:

• Exposure to agricultural production (season of production summer internship regular volunteering or equivalent experience).
• An interest in pursuing farming as a career.
• Strong work ethic and an understanding that farm work is both rewarding and physically demanding.
• Have the ability to work over 8-hour days.
• Enjoy working outdoors in varying weather conditions.
• Able to lift heavy items.
• Friendly and inviting personality with a positive attitude.
• Respect for farm products fellow crew members and all ACES staff.
• Strong willingness and desire to learn.

Preferred but not required candidates will have the following:

• Bilingual particularly conversational Spanish.

Reporting Relationship: This position reports to the Livestock manager.

Work schedule: 5 days per week Tuesday through Saturday. Up to 50 hours a week in peak season. Additional rotating weekend chore responsibilities are required and are additionally compensated. We value a work/life balance; however farming has peak demands and occasional times of unpredictability where we will be challenged to work through our physical and mental limitations.

Compensation and benefits: Compensation includes: $590/week plus housing utilities a bi-weekly vegetable CSA (June-October) staff eggs when available a $100 farm store stipend and a $100 gear stipend. This is a full-time seasonal position and is currently ineligible for the ACES benefits package.

Position Dates: March 16 2026 October 30 2026.

Deadline: December 22 2025

Housing: Housing provided. On average one hour per week of general maintenance duties is expected to be fulfilled as part of the in-kind housing compensation.

To Apply: Apply at Please direct any questions to . Please do not make any phone calls to the ranch regarding this position.

ACES employees work with school children therefore ACES conducts background checks for criminal history and motor vehicle records.

Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all federal laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex national origin or protected veteran or disabled status and will not be discriminated against.

Required Experience:

Junior IC