Our Team
We are brothers who are among the lucky few to have grown up on the Western Slope of Colorado. We spent our early years forming an intimate relationship with the bountiful and wondrous landscapes of the mountain west through numerous outdoor adventures and employment. The privilege of this extraordinary upbringing is not lost on us. We embrace the responsibility to steward, heal, and deepen the relationship between people and this place.
Each of us bring different skill sets that are complementary, allowing for an effective team approach to our projects:
Cooper Means
Cooper Means has spent the last 15 years dedicated to food production in the region of the Roaring Fork Valley through diversified farming, education, experimentation, stewardship and systems integration.
Cooper became a Certified Generalist at Sustainable Settings at age 11 and has since obtained a bachelor’s degree in Regenerative Food Systems Design, trained with Holistic Management International, The Permaculture Research Institute, ECOSA Design Institute, CSU Extension, and in various biodynamics and systems design trainings across the South Western US.
Cooper spearheaded development of local non-profit The Farm Collabrative’s farming systems from 2014-2022; he’s been a key part of the creation of three farms in Western Colorado and has supported the development of many more. Today, Cooper remains actively involved in the agricultural health of the Roaring Fork Valley through food production, systems development and community-building.
To SMF Land Management, Cooper brings hands-on knowledge of agriculture and conservation in the mountain west. He has experience across a broad range of practices relating to working lands from intensive vegetable production and animal husbandry to weed mitigation and irrigation management. After 15 years of working in the region he has developed a robust network of helpful people and resources.
Gaelen Means
Gaelen’s professional experience lies across the disciplines of design, agriculture, research, and project management. After several years in conventional project management roles, Gaelen received a Masters of Landscape Architecture and began working as an Ecological Designer for Bio-Logical Capital. Over the past 5 years he has spent his time working on projects in the Northeastern US, including Philo Ridge Farm and a 5 year on-farm NRCS funded research grant.
Gaelen brings experience with GIS mapping, computer drafting and modeling, and hands-on, scientific methods of analysis, allowing for deep investigation and a familiarity with a broad range of agricultural systems and methods. Pulling from his time working on complex, transdisciplinary on farm research throughout Vermont, Gaelen understands the variability of agricultural systems and the many ways in which regenerative practices can help farmers find stability in a chaotic and grossly undervalued industry.
Gaelen holds an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science and a Masters in Landscape Architecture.