Colorado Grazing Specialist

American Farmland Trust • Fort Collins, CO

22h • Remote

About The Position

The Colorado Grazing Specialist will lead American Farmland Trust’s on-the-ground grazing program development in Colorado, focusing on producer engagement and relationship building along the Front Range. The role supports ranchers and land stewards in strengthening grazing management, improving rangeland health, and building long-term operational resilience. The Specialist will implement and grow AFT’s Resilient Grazing Network (RGN), coordinate mentors, deliver peer-learning opportunities, document outcomes, and expand regenerative grazing through mentorship, technical assistance, and partnership development. The position also supports ecological monitoring and data collection on selected Colorado ranches.

The Specialist will help producers respond to regional conditions including drought, variable precipitation and forage, limited water availability, extreme weather, and development pressure. The role is a trusted local presence for producers, partners, and institutions and will help establish and grow AFT’s presence in Colorado. It is remote, based in Fort Collins or elsewhere on the Front Range, with frequent statewide and regional travel.

Requirements

• Strong knowledge of grazing systems, rangeland management, forage resources, and water-resource challenges in Colorado or similar semi-arid Great Plains regions.
• Knowledge of regenerative grazing, soil-health principles, forage management, shortgrass prairie and rangeland ecology, and/or conservation practices that support drought resilience.
• Demonstrated ability to build trust and relationships with farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.
• Experience delivering technical assistance, outreach, or education related to regenerative grazing, rangeland management, soil health, or conservation planning.
• Experience implementing or managing field-based, producer-facing, or grant-funded agricultural, conservation, or outreach programs.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills, including the ability to engage diverse audiences and translate technical concepts into practical application.
• Ability to work respectfully and effectively with diverse rural communities and producers with varying experience, resources, and goals.
• Ability to work independently while coordinating across remote teams, partners, mentors, and producer cohorts.
• Willingness to travel frequently within Colorado and occasionally throughout the region, up to 25% of the time.
• Ability to collect and organize field and program data, track participation and outcomes, maintain clear records, and document lessons learned.
• Significant experience with grazing networks, agriculture, ranching, and conservation partners in Colorado.
• Experience planning and delivering producer-focused workshops, field days, trainings, learning circles, or peer-to-peer education opportunities.
• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in agriculture, rangeland management, rangeland ecology, animal science, natural resources, soil science, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience working with agricultural producers, preferably in grazing systems, conservation programs, or extension/outreach roles.

Nice To Haves

• Experience developing grazing plans, conservation plans, or related implementation plans with producers and technical or institutional partners.
• Experience supporting applied ecological monitoring or partner-led research in rangeland, grazing, agricultural conservation, or natural resource settings, including familiarity with field protocols, grazing records, ecological indicators, and communicating results.
• Familiarity with state and federal programs offering financial or technical assistance to agricultural producers, including conservation, soil health, drought resilience, grassland protection, and water conservation programs.
• Experience recruiting, onboarding, coordinating, or supporting mentors, advisors, peer leaders, or producer cohorts in an agricultural, conservation, extension, or community-based setting.
• Familiarity with solar grazing, agrivoltaics, or compatible grazing management around energy infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain trusted relationships with ranchers and land stewards, understand local needs, support participation, and encourage regenerative grazing practices.
• Identify and cultivate partnerships with universities, conservation organizations, producer groups, conservation districts, and agencies.
• Lead local implementation and growth of the Resilient Grazing Network, including recruiting and onboarding mentors, coordinating mentorship, and aligning delivery with AFT goals and regional needs.
• Provide mentors with tools, training, coordination, troubleshooting, and guidance as they support land stewards.
• Recruit land stewards for mentorship, trainings, and peer-learning activities.
• Organize mentor trainings and collaborate with AFT staff and partners to adapt curricula, outreach materials, and training approaches for Colorado Front Range contexts.
• Provide producers technical assistance and resource navigation, including grazing management planning, soil health approaches, referrals, and connections to conservation programs and funding.
• Develop and deliver workshops, field days, and learning circles addressing regional grazing, environmental, social, and economic challenges.
• Contribute to storytelling and communications by elevating producer experiences, identifying case studies, and supporting outreach materials.
• Assist land stewards with participant-level soil, forage, and grazing-related monitoring to establish baselines and assess changes over time.
• Track program activities, producer engagement, mentor participation, outcomes, and lessons learned for improvement, communications, and funding opportunities.
• Coordinate applied ecological monitoring with AFT’s evaluation team, university researchers, ranch managers, and technical partners, including field protocols, sampling, grazing records, site-condition documentation, and translation of findings into practical management insights.
• Collaborate with AFT staff to identify opportunities to engage audiences across Colorado and represent AFT at appropriate conferences and events.
• Work with AFT’s National Smart Solar Team and Agrivoltaics Specialist to explore opportunities to combine grazing and solar energy generation in Colorado.
• Represent AFT to farmers, ranchers, partner organizations, agencies, policymakers, and the media in Colorado.
• Travel frequently within Colorado and occasionally throughout the region, up to 25% of the time.

Benefits

• Medical and prescription coverage
• Dental coverage
• Vision coverage
• Company-paid life insurance
• Long-term disability insurance
• Voluntary life insurance
• Healthcare and dependent-care flexible spending accounts
• Health savings account
• 401(k) plan
• 13 sick days per year for regular full-time employees
• 15 vacation days during the first year, increasing by one day per year to a maximum of 20 days annually
• Twelve fixed holidays
• A week off between Christmas and New Year’s when all offices are closed
• Up to three floating holidays, depending on hiring month
• Remote work opportunity
• Competitive compensation

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level