My name is Verna Mitura. I am the President of Mitura Economic Research Incorporated and the company has been in existence for a little over a year.

I formed the company in October of 1996 and the primary role of the company is to do economic research, whether it be market research or policy research for business or governments, nationally or internationally.


[Background:]

My major background is economics. The role I have had (over the years), in terms of working with others, has been to develop policies or develop markets that are to the benefit of others.

I came from a farm originally, so I [also] have farm background. I took a degree in Agriculture and then started working for an agricultural company here in Saskatchewan. It was very focused on farm families and the economic wellbeing of Saskatchewan farmers.

As I started out on my own a year ago, a part of me still wants to go back and work with farm families and try to improve their economic wellbeing through some of the work that I might do in research in the future. So it has been a progression in my career and I mainly focused on agriculture.

[Hours of Work:]

I try to keep regular hours. It is easy not to do when you are private and when you do not really report to anyone else. But ever since I started this I have tried to keep an 8:30 am to 5:00 pm day, like anyone else. That is (kind of) why I went into an office environment.

[Typical Work Day:]

I have activities that go on through two Boards that I am involved with. Different things happen in a day to keep you going. I would probably spend about half of my time in the office and half out. It is hard. It just varies because it depends on the meetings that are being held outside, because it is critical to meet with potential clients outside.

I have been trying in the past year to develop a broad base of connections so that when one project ends maybe there is someone out there that is looking for a project to be started. So trying to balance the projects and your time is a real factor.

While I am here I am probably writing proposals; or once they are approved, trying to do the research. That is the stage I am at now, beginning to do the research on a project that has been approved. And that is going to mean setting up numerous meetings, travel plans and research through the library Internet.

[Teamwork Skills & Positive Attitude:]

Because I am a very small organization I have to do a lot of my work with and through other people. [You need to be able to work as a team.] You may team up with other consultants to work on a project. This could be one way where you have to become a component of a team. That very much is what is in my future. Or if you are working to do research with a group of people where it is their attitudes or information you require; again, you are working very much through others to get the information you require. So teamwork is ultimately a major factor.

Every day the positive attitude is critical. When you get up in the morning as a small entrepreneur, there is really no one out there to tell you what you are going to do from day to day. And I guess it is like a double-edged sword. It is really good if you are totally motivated. You have to stay motivated day in and day out.

Keep a positive attitude towards what your future can become from a small company. If you do not have that, then as a small entrepreneur you might need to go back into another type of work force because you do not have the stability of income and you do not have someone setting your daily agenda for you. Some people need that and other people thrive from not having it.

[Skills & Abilities:]

The ability to adapt to change for agriculture now, is, and always has been very important for that industry. And it has been an industry if you look back a hundred years when the industry started with horses and ploughs (which was within this century). It is quite amazing where that whole industry has gone. So it has been one that has changed dramatically in a hundred years.

I would not say it has changed like computer technology changes (where it changes almost weekly and monthly), but agriculture has had new technology driven onto them. They have had to adapt to new types of crops and livestock and chemicals. It is a constantly changing environment for agriculture as well.

You have to be able to convince others of ideas you may have. And that in itself is a very critical role that you play because you are having to convince others (at times) that there is a project out there that is crying to be done and that someone else should pay for it. That is a challenge of a lifetime when you are trying to do that. And convincing someone of your idea takes time and a lot of resources and a lot of energy because you may have to try time and time again.

[Education & Training:]

Well basically, the education to be an Agrologist is your University degree and that is your first step into professional Agrology. Then to work in the profession of Agriculture within Saskatchewan you are bound by regulation of the province. So you have to actually be a member of the Saskatchewan Institute of Agrologists and a basic degree in Agriculture is required for that.

Then, the Institution requires you to continue your education and inform them of what education you advanced in over the course of a year. So you might take management training, [or] you might take things on arbitration. It could be varied depending on your interests, but the Institute does like to see its Agrologists continue their education.

The attributes a person would need within the profession of Agriculture (if you are talking that particular) is a good ability to communicate. I think it is important in what I do. You have to have an understanding of the basics of the industry.

There are many people actually entering the College of Agriculture that do not come from a farm background because the number of occupations within Agriculture is so wide now that people might be going into food science, or soil science, or crop science. And really, not having a farm background would not make much of a difference.

[Most Challenging Aspects:]

The most challenging [aspect] will be the financial side, trying to justify the existence of the company and not wavering into another type of job. And the financial will be the component of that, whether you can sustain your business and that is true for anyone.

[Most Satisfying Aspects:]

Satisfaction is being able to take on projects that I likely could never have done in another corporate environment. So by going out on my own I can pursue some of those international opportunities that I do not think I could have achieved within a government position or within a corporation.

[Advice For Someone Entering This Field Of Work:]

It is a very good career and it (Agriculture) will always be a career for anyone because you do not have to necessarily have a farm background. You can go into the college and do very well. Everyone in this world still needs to be fed and there is a rapidly growing population in this world that needs to be fed. And the challenges of having enough food will continue to be there for years to come.