Agri-Food Companies Get Student Research Help

Applications are now being accepted for the 2008 edition of the Student Assisted Business and Marketing Plan program offered by the Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan (ACS) and the University of Saskatchewan. The program matches up agri-food companies with the research talents of U of S agriculture students.

"During the first year-and-a-half of the program, we had approximately 38 projects split evenly between marketing and business plan development," said Bryan Kosteroski, the Value Chain Specialist at ACS. "We just had students complete 10 marketing plans and six business plans."

The program is intended to assist companies in developing strategic business and marketing plans for their products. The companies are chosen by application to the council.

"We work with the U of S and look at projected numbers of students," Kosteroski said. "We normally have more projects than students, and we assign four students per project."

Kosteroski says the participating companies receive a high degree of professionalism and commitment from their student-assistants.

"They are either third-year or fourth-year students," he said. "They work on these projects for approximately three months. It's very intense, and a major part of their marketing program."

The students receive course credit for their work, and don't just spend time in the library or on their computers.

"They go out into the community," Kosteroski said. "For example, we have a lot of projects where they do taste-testing of products in restaurants. They talk to chefs, or to distributors, or go into retail stores and food service outlets. So the students are getting real life experience in what it takes to develop marketing strategies and business plans."

The program is particularly well-suited to start-up companies. Due the assistance of the Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food Saskatchewan (ACAAFS) program, ACS is able to pay half of the $500 cost of each project, leaving the companies to pay only $250.

"It gives small, entry-level companies an insight into where they have to go and what they have to do in the future," Kosteroski said. "Once they use the business or marketing plan to a certain extent, they will grow with it. We've had some companies that have used this program more than once, because they are looking at different marketing avenues, such as food service or retail. It could be into studies of consumer acceptance of products."

At this point, the program is accepting applications for projects which will be approved in August of 2008, with students getting down to work later in the fall. The applications are available on the ACS website at http://www.agcouncil.ca/.

Kosteroski says applying is not a difficult process. "We work with the clients. They'll put an application in, and we'll contact them and talk about expanding on their needs to make sure we focus on the highest priorities," he noted. "Then we can look at additional projects for that company."

For more information, contact:
Bryan Kosteroski, Value Chain Specialist
Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan
Phone: (Toll Free) 1-800-641-8256
E-mail: kosteroskib@agcouncil.ca
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