Goat Dairy Internships – Growing Gardens

Last Updated On: November 25th, 2025 at 10:57AM MST

Contact information
Farm Address:
1630 Hawthorn Avenue
Boulder, Colorado, 80304

Primary Contact: David Trevino
Primary Phone:
    Type: Office
    Number: 3034439952
    Email: david@growinggardens.org

Website: https://www.growinggardens.org

Internship information
General Farm Description: We farm a total of 3 acres of vegetables and 2 acres of orchard crops, run three large greenhouses with an impressive nursery operation, and rotationally graze a small herd of dairy goats all in the heart of Boulder and Longmont, Colorado. We are always striving toward regenerative and ecologically sound growing practices and are constantly learning and evolving as land stewards. We offer a variety of programs to get people of all ages, backgrounds, income levels, and abilities involved in growing and cooking their own food. These educational opportunities are paired with seed, plant start, and produce donations, as well as gardening space, to impart greater food security and hunger relief in our community.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: 3/2/26 or 5/11/26 or 8/10/26
Internship Ends: 5/29/26 or 8/14/26 or 10/30/26
Number of Internship Available: 1 for each season
Application Deadline: Please see descriptions for individual deadlines
Minimum Length of Stay: 3 months, if you can work multiple seasons we may be able to provide a higher stipend

Internship Details:

Reports to: Goat Dairy Herd Manager 

Job Status: Seasonal Intern, 15 hours per week 

Compensation: $400 upon completion of internship, plus raw goats milk and cheese as supply allows. Qualifies for credit at the university level. ***If you are interested in working multiple consecutive dairy internships (e.g. Spring + Summer), we may be able to provide a higher stipend for the extended commitment. 

Location: Boulder, CO 

Check out our Internship Digital Booklet! 

 

Growing Gardens’ mission is to cultivate community through regenerative urban agriculture. Our programs empower people of all ages, income levels, and abilities by connecting them with their local food system, each other, and the environment. 

Our organization values the diverse skills and individuals that come together to create a thriving community and workplace. We are committed to the work we do, and bring our best selves each day, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously, have fun, and enjoy the process of doing good in our community. We take care of each other and put people at the center of everything we do. 

Goat Dairy Interns gain incredible hands-on experience working with our animals and land through a regenerative lens. We emphasize humane animal husbandry, raw milk production, rotational grazing, and community education. Goat Dairy Interns improve their skills with farming through training, practice, reflection, and feedback. Goat Dairy Interns spend most of their time directly involved with our animals, volunteers, and program participants learning and teaching about the goats and their role within our organization. 

Spring Goat Dairy Internship Duties 

The Dairy Intern will support the daily functions of the Growing Gardens’ Goat Dairy with an emphasis on animal husbandry, raw milk production, and rotational grazing. This internship is fast paced and requires hard work, focus, and care. The Dairy Intern will assist the Herd Manager with all aspects of dairy operations including but not limited to: 

 

    • Participate in a combination of morning and evening farm chores. This will include, but is not limited to: setting up electric fencing, moving livestock to and from different grazing locations on the property, ensuring all animals have adequate food and water, cleaning and preparation of barn/yard, restocking hay, trimming hooves 
    • Perform basic veterinary care including administration of vaccines and medicines, as well as observe procedures performed by our veterinarian such as disbudding. 
    • Assist with pre- and post-natal care and kidding, including but not limited to: monitoring pregnant does for signs of labor, hands-on assisting with labor and delivery, tending to newborn goat kids 
    • Bottle-feed goat kids 
    • Track daily herd health and rotational grazing 
    • Assist with various farm infrastructure projects 
    • Work closely with volunteers leading chore shifts 
    • Assist in various educational programs including bottle-feeding tours, field trips, workshops, on-site and off-site events 
    • Learn about the milking process start to finish 
  • *Note: We will train anyone willing to participate in two or more of our seasonal dairy internships on milking the animals. For interns just at the dairy for a single season there will be a milking demonstration and lots of other great hands-on experience with the animals. If an intern is interested in participating for two seasons we can adjust the stipend amount to reflect a longer-term commitment. 
  • Intern will have the opportunity to work with our Growing team at least once a month, assisting with a variety of tasks such as weeding, planting, harvesting, and washing produce for the weekly farm stand 

Knowledge and Skills the Intern Will Develop: 

  • Basic herd health management and tracking 
  • Hands-on experience with livestock pregnancy, labor and delivery, and care of newborn goat kids 
  • Raw milk distribution using a herdshare program 
  • Food safety protocols and procedures pertaining to raw milk production
  • Procedures and benefits of rotational grazing 
  • Conflict resolution, volunteer coordination, and communication skills 
  • The opportunity to work in a dynamic team environment with a passionate, committed team 
  • Hands-on experience making a positive impact in the lives of children, teens, and adults
  • Networking and community connections within the burgeoning local food movement 
  • Development of marketable leadership and management skills 

 

We offer a spring, summer, and fall Goat Dairy Internship. Please visit our Goat Dairy Internship Page to read more about each internship.


Educational Opportunities: Basic herd health management and tracking Raw milk distribution using a herdshare program Food safety protocols and procedures pertaining to raw milk production Procedures and benefits of rotational grazing Conflict resolution, volunteer coordination, and communication skills The opportunity to work in a dynamic team environment with a passionate, committed team

Skills Desired: Strong work ethic and passion for animals, agriculture, and developing community Must be comfortable working with large animals and be able to move the herd to and from grazing areas on a daily basis Ability to work early morning, evening, or weekend hours and under adverse weather conditions Physically capable of regular manual tasks, including lifting up to 50 pounds Some animal husbandry experience is desired, but it is not required for this position

Meals: No

Stipend: $400 upon completion, potential higher stipend to someone who can commit to multiple seasons

Housing: No

Preferred method of Contact: Email

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