Apprenticeship/Farm Hand – Dooley Creek Farm

Last Updated On: May 7th, 2026 at 07:38PM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
349 Dooley Ln
Carbondale, Colorado, 81623

Primary Contact: Mollie Shipman
Secondary Contact: Jacob Shipman

Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 9706184396
    Email: dooleycreekfarm@gmail.com

Secondary Phone
    Type: Home
    Number: 9709632021
    Email:

Website: https://www.dooleycreekfarm.com

Internship information

General Farm Description: Dooley Creek Farm is a diverse 100 acre regenerative family farm located in the Crystal River Valley near Carbondale, CO. Our focus is soil-building through managed adaptive grazing, animal rotation, and composting. We offer direct-to-consumer premium quality beef, chicken, pork, eggs and turkey. We are committed to caring for the land and its ecosystems and providing healthy food for ourselves and others. We value hard work and ingenuity, family, honesty, loyalty and integrity. Our mission is to work as a family to foster ecological and human flourishing by producing nutritious food through regenerative farming practices.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: Flexible but ideally would start April 1st, 2026
Internship Ends: 6 month minimum commitment but possibility to roll into long-term position for right person
Number of Internship Available: 1
Application Deadline: 4/1/2026
Minimum Length of Stay: 6 months

Internship Details:

Dooley Creek Farm, LLC seeks a motivated individual to support the daily operations of our regenerative farm in Carbondale, Colorado. 

The 100-acre farm has approximately 25 acres of irrigated pasture where we rotationally graze our cattle and rotate the laying hens, broilers and turkeys. The pigs are started in the barn and then moved to the oak brush where they are rotated through paddocks. In addition, we have off-site grazing and hay leases for the cattle. In the winter, cattle are on stockpiled forage and hay and laying hens and pigs are brought into shelter with deep bedding.

We are a small family farm and the farm hand will be involved in all aspects of daily physical operation of the farm. The farm hand will work closely with the owner/operators as well as independently on assigned chores and projects.

 

Primary Duties and Responsibilities 

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

3) Livestock production: 

• Rotation and care of livestock: cattle, pigs, laying hens, meat chickens, and turkeys. Notify manager of any illness, abnormal behavior, or predator pressure.
• Care includes providing feed and fresh water, ensuring humane and safe living conditions, creating electric fencing paddocks and moving animals through a multi-species rotational grazing system, managing bedding, and collecting and washing eggs.
• Participate in processing of chickens and turkeys.
• Haying
• Irrigating
• Loading, moving, receiving, hauling animal feed and supplies
• Maintain production records as instructed
  

2) Customer Service 

• Help load, haul, set up and run the market booth at local fairs and markets
• Assist with deliveries as needed
• Greet and direct customers who come to the farm
• Provide positive, polite, professional customer service to all patrons

Secondary Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Site maintenance, including cleaning, mowing, weed eating, fence repair, cleaning ditches, vehicle maintenance, occasional small construction or building projects, etc.
  

Qualifications: 

Candidates must embody the following characteristics: 

• Strong work ethic and understanding that farm work is physically demanding.
• Enjoy working outdoors in varying weather conditions.   
• Able to lift heavy items. 
• Ability to work quickly and efficiently 
• Friendly, respectful and positive attitude. 
• Strong willingness and desire to learn. 
• Shows initiative
• Dependable
• Willing and able to operate machinery: tractor, skid steer, excavator, ATV and pull trailers
  

Preferred but not required:  

• Previous farming experience
• An interest in pursuing farming as a career. 
• Experience working with animals, especially livestock. 
• Construction or mechanic skills.
  

Reporting Relationship:  This position reports to the owners/operators

Location:  This position is located 15 minutes south of Carbondale, Colorado.  

Work schedule: 5 days per week, 8 or more hours per day, two days off per week. This is a full-time seasonal position with potential to be year-round. Some days will be long and very difficult, other days will be short and easy. We are flexible on schedule and willing to work with you to arrange appropriate time off. Vacation time will be limited during chicken processing and haying season (May through Sept) but readily available during the fall/winter/early spring months.

Benefits and Compensation:

Compensation based on qualifications and experience. On-site housing provided with all utilities, satellite internet, and food allotment from the farm.

Housing:

Due to our proximity to a mountain resort town, rent is very high in the area so we offer an on-farm housing option as part of the compensation package. The housing is a 120 year old one-room log cabin that has a sink and electricity, full size fridge and hot plate and toaster oven for cooking. Separate shower house with shower, light and heat, and a composting toilet. Rustic, but private and in a beautiful setting.

Educational Opportunities: Apart from learning the nuts and bolts of small-scale regenerative beef, pork and poultry production, you will be exposed to all aspects of running a farm from a business perspective. We may set you loose brainstorming a new system or project or let you start your own enterprise on site. Our goal is to equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to successfully achieve your own agricultural goals and dreams. The ideal candidate is self-motivated, hard-working, takes initiative, and wants to own or operate a for-profit grass-based livestock farm in their future.

Skills Desired: Some previous exposure to livestock and operating machinery preferred but willing to train.

Meals: Occasional meals provided plus food share from the farm.

Stipend: Yes

Housing: Yes

Preferred method of Contact: Email