Aspen Center for Environmental Studies

Agriculture Apprentice – Vegetables

Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) is a nonprofit environmental science education organization. Since 1968, ACES has inspired a life-long 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 mid-valley in 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 programming to engage 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 50+ crops on our ⅔ acre of intensively spaced outdoor production and in our four-season extension structures. Rock Bottom Ranch’s 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 the diverse array of production agriculture operations but have the opportunity to become involved in customer service, event, and educational experiences.

Position Summary

ACES Agriculture Apprenticeship is a hands-on learning and training program that is geared towards those with an interest in pursuing agriculture as a career.  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 completion of this program, apprentices will feel confident and knowledgeable in a diversity 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 training. Some of this additional programming 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, butchery, and many others;
  • In-depth training on skills including tractor operation, 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) Low-till Vegetable Production:

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following: 

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

• Assist with sales of produce and meat at farmers’ markets and at the ranch through farmstand and CSA pick up. 
• Assist with maintenance of the vegetable production area by mowing and weed whacking.

Other Duties and Responsibilities:

1) Livestock production: 

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Assist with the daily care of cattle, sheep, goats, laying hens, meat chickens, turkeys, rabbits, ducks, and bees.  Daily care may include: providing feed and fresh water, moving animals, mucking out stalls and houses, collecting and washing eggs.
• Participate in humane, on-property animal harvesting of chickens and turkeys.

• Participate in evening chicken cratings through the summer.

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 requires 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.
• During the work day, event preparation and site maintenance duties required.
• After-hours, on-call responsibilities which will include chicken crating, animal emergencies, animal birthing, or site maintenance issues.  
• Other duties as assigned to further the mission of ACES

3) Site Maintenance 

• Assist with lawn care including mowing and weed whacking
• Assist with on-site trail maintenance
• Assist with maintenance of ACES Habitat Garden including weeding, planting and trail maintenance
• Assist with varying site tasks as needed

Qualifications:

Candidates must have the following:

• Exposure to agriculture production (season of production, summer internship, regular volunteering, or equivalent experience).
• An interest in pursuing farming as a career.
• Strong work ethic and understanding that farm work is rewarding, yet physically demanding.  
• Enjoy working outdoors in varying weather conditions.  
• Able to lift heavy items.
• Friendly, inviting personality and positive attitude. 
• Community mindset
• 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. This may be subject to additional compensation.

Reporting Relationship:  This position reports to the Vegetable Manager.

Location:  This position is located at ACES’ Rock Bottom Ranch site in Basalt, Colorado.  

Work schedule: 5 days per week, Tuesday through Saturday.  Up to 50 hours a week in peak season.  Additional rotating weekend chores 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: $525/week, plus housing, utilities, a bi-weekly vegetable CSA (June-October) and staff eggs when available. This is a full-time, seasonal, position and is currently ineligible for ACES benefits package.

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

Position Dates:  April 15, 2025 – October 29, 2025.  The start date is non-negotiable

To Apply: Apply at aspennature.bamboohr.com/jobs  Please direct any questions to Abarsanti@aspennature.org .  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.