We measurably reduce on-farm surplus agriculture in Colorado, support the economic stability of farmers and increase the nutritional security of our state’s residents.

Our vision is of a Colorado foodshed that is more mindful, humane, self-sustaining and connected, where everyone has access to protective foods and where markets value farmers for what they are: a cornerstone of our society.

What
We are looking to create a 10-15 person Farm & Food Mobile Workforce (FFW) that will travel to farms along the northern Front Range this September—November to support smallholder and family farms and ranches with harvesting and general duties including hoeing, weeding, irrigation work, fence-mending and grounds clean up.  

We are looking for team members with a spirit of social entrepreneurship running through their veins. This role is a solutions-based effort, one that is attempting to create a sustainable fix to the lack of agricultural labor available to farmers and ranchers. We are working to serve farmers and ranchers for the duration of this pilot, which means that there may be roles that you're excited to perform (e.g., harvesting pumpkins or caring for animals) while there may be others that you're less jazzed about (e.g., painting a barn). We aim to complete the on-farm tasks asked of us with efficiency, a high level of quality, and a positive attitude.

Why
Listening sessions conducted throughout Colorado in late 2017 and early 2018 by Rocky Mountain Farmers Union (RMFU) revealed that there is a widespread need for trained and reliable labor on small-to-mid-sized farms; this is Year 3 of the pilot. 

Logistics
The FFW is a pilot project and collaborative effort between RMFU and UpRoot Colorado (UpRoot) and will operate weekly for a period of ~eight-to-ten weeks. (Weekdays may include Mondays through Saturdays and we will work together to create a viable schedule.)

Due to Covid-19, we will need to travel to farms/ranches individually (i.e., leveraging our own vehicles) to perform harvest work and a variety of above-mentioned duties. Covid-19 best practices will also be in place (e.g., wearing masks when in close proximity of one another and maintaining appropriate distance between team members).

A Cooperative Model
The vision for this pilot is to holistically fill labor gaps, provide a viable service and pave the way for a statewide, worker-owned agricultural-services cooperative—beginning in 2022—that provides a variety of services to Colorado farmers and ranchers including mobile, trained and reliable year-round labor.
 

• One year of on-farm work (or outdoor labor) experience required
• The role as harvester and laborer is part-time and on an independent-contractor basis for this pilot (i.e., this is currently a Form 1099-MISC contractor-based position)
• Pay is $14.00 - $15.00 per hour (DOE) and includes at least two 15-minute breaks throughout the day
  
• Food-safety training, harvest training and filtered water provided
• You will be paving the way for an agricultural-services cooperative that provides much-needed labor and additional services (e.g., legal; marketing; accounting) to Colorado farms and ranches