Company description

UpRoot Colorado (UpRoot) measurably reduces surplus protective foods in Colorado, supports the resilience of farmers and increases the nutritional security of our state’s residents.

We envision a mindful, humane and equitable Colorado foodshed where farmers are valued for who they are: a cornerstone of our society.

Job description

What

The Farm & Food Mobile Workforce pilot (FFW) is now in its fourth year of operations, working to serve producers along Colorado's northern Front Range with supplemental, on-demand and efficient labor.

We are looking to add to our current Workforce roster to better support smallholder and family farms and ranches with harvesting and general agricultural 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 serve farmers, ranchers and processing facilities meaning 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 tasks asked of us with efficiency, a high level of quality, and a positive attitude.

Why

Listening sessions conducted throughout Colorado in 2017 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 4 of the pilot.

Logistics

The FFW is a pilot project and a collaborative effort between RMFU and UpRoot Colorado (UpRoot).

A Cooperative Model

We are currently forming a steering committee to suss out the viability for a worker-owned agricultural-services cooperative.

Need to Know

• One year of on-farm work (or outdoor labor) experience required
• The role as harvester and laborer is currently 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 $15.00 per hour
• Food-safety training and filtered water provided
• You will be paving the way for a worker-owned cooperative model that provides much-needed labor to Colorado farms and ranches

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $15-20/hr

Application instructions

Deadline

September 30, 2021