When Kiana Sajtos was close to high school graduation in 2015, she had a clear idea of what she was going to do: Become an accountant, just like her mom. That led her to enrol in the University of Manitoba’s agribusiness program. However, at her mom’s behest, she looked into the Co-op Excellence in Ag (EIA) program.
Sajtos signed up and got her first summer posting in 2016 at her local Co-op, Prairie Roots in Marquette, Man. It didn’t take long to shift her thoughts away from accounting.
“After that first summer, I was so excited to be an agronomist,” she said.
Buoyed by the amazing experience she had in 2016, Sajtos continued with Co-op. In 2017, she was posted to Pembina Co-op in Notre Dame de Lourdes. The summer after that was spent at Federated Co-operatives Limited’s Home Office in Saskatoon, Sask., where she was a Crop Supply Summer Student and had her eyes opened to the management and corporate side of the business, which she loved.
“That was awesome,” she said. “Just getting to see the wholesale side of the business, as well.”
Upon university graduation, she worked nearly two years at Pembina Co-op in Swan Lake, Man., before permanently relocating to Roblin, Man., where she is the Senior Agronomist and Agro Manager in Training at Parkway Co-op.
Gaining experience in the field
Seeing so many different Co-op sites throughout Manitoba has given Sajtos a bigger appreciation for what farmers face on a seasonal basis.
“The great thing about moving locations was just the different challenges each location faces,” she said.
Sajtos saw first-hand how Red River Valley farmers contend with waterlogged clay soil and learned how management strategies change for sandier soils at Notre Dame. “Even the same weeds look different based on soil profiles, so it was very beneficial to have those experiences.”
Giving students a chance to grow
The EIA program was established in 2013 and has seen more than 100 young people participate. It provides scholarships between $2,000 to $4,000 annually and up to $16,000 towards the completion of an applicable undergraduate degree. Students participate in paid internships across the prairies and work with a Co-op retail team to learn the ins and outs of the agro business.
Sajtos is grateful to have gone through EIA and considers herself a proud alumnus. The program “accelerated” her career, and she learned the power of networking. Her Pembina Co-op stint in 2019 was made possible through the connections she made as an intern.
She encouraged any young person curious about a career in agriculture to investigate the EIA. The no-pressure program simply gives a broader understanding of the ag industry and can set you up for success in the future.
“Take every opportunity that comes to you because you don’t know where it’s going to lead,” Sajtos said. “Sometimes it can be scary to move away from home, and it was for me, but it was the best thing I could do for myself. Get these experiences and see where life takes you.”
Guiding the next generation
Sajtos is excited to be part of the program now as a mentor. Last summer, she worked with a student and will do the same this year.
“I’m just so happy to continue to be part of the program and put time into these students, as there were some pretty awesome mentors who invested time into me throughout my program journey,” she said. “I feel quite fortunate that now, I get to be a mentor to the new students.”
Overall, Sajtos sees programs like EIA as beneficial to all of agriculture, and vital to maintaining the culture of agriculture as populations dwindle in rural areas.
“It's been a very positive thing for our whole industry of training young people and kind of fostering that growth and development for young people,” she said.
Learn more about the Excellence in Ag program.