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Call Number: Mss 76, Pc 83, Tc 96 (A1990-35, A1990-70, A1992-04, A1992-06, A1992-09, A1992-11, A1992-13, A1992-17, A1995-15, A1995-41, A2001-10)
Title: United Grain Growers Ltd. fonds.
Dates: 1867-1995.
Extent: 15.8 m of textual records and other material.
Administrative history: The precursor to the United Grain Growers was formed in 1901 in Indian Head, Saskatchewan, by a group of farmers who came together to discuss common problems related to grain farming. The "Grain Growers" concept spread quickly to Alberta and Manitoba and, in 1917, the movement amalgamated its commercial interests in the three Prairie Provinces to form United Grain Growers Ltd. The infrastructure of the company included grain elevators, terminals, and a farm supply network. U.G.G. bought or built an extensive series of country elevators across the west from 1912 to the 1960s. Grain terminal facilities were also constructed and included facilities at Thunder Bay, New Westminster, and Vancouver. Through their elevator system, the U.G.G. sold supplies such as coal, twine, chemicals, and fertilizer to their farm customers. The new millennium brough much consolidation for Canadian agribusiness and U.G.G. was part of this trend. On November 1, 2001, it merged with Agricore (formed by the consolidation of the Manitoba and Alberta Wheat Pools) to form a new company, Agricore United. In 2007, Agricore United merged with Saskatchewan Wheat Pool to form Viterra. For a more detailed history and choronology of the company from beginnings to 1990, see the finding aid "The Archives of the United Grain Growers Limited", by Jeffery Long.
Custodial history: The bulk of the fonds was donated to University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections by United Grain Growers Ltd. in several accessions between 1990 and 1995. The 2001 accession was donated by Paul Earl, who borrowed the material from United Grain Growers Ltd. to assist in the preparation of his book, Mac Runciman: A Life in the Grain Trade.
Scope and content: The fonds, the official corporate archives of the company, contains the administrative records of United Grain Growers Ltd. from approximately 1906 to 1941. They include minutes of annual meetings, capital stock reports, price reports, correspondence, and studies regarding elevators, executive records, grain company agreements, committee reports and memos, pamphlets, brochures and correspondence regarding the history of the organization, reports, agreements and correspondence regarding livestock, marketing and grain rate records, memoranda and directories, news bulletins, presidents' correspondence, taxation, policies, materials on the womens' section of the Canadian Council of Agriculture, photographs and films, and press reports. The fonds also features almost 300 local histories written by Don Fraser, a U.G.G. retiree, of every community in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba in which a U.G.G. elevator exists or once stood. The 2001 (A.01-10) consists of reports, speeches, memoranda, publications, and photographs related to Alexander McInnes "Mac" Runciman, president of U.G.G. from 1961 to 1981. This accession also includes a series of interviews on audio-cassette with Runciman conducted by author, Paul D. Earl, in 1994 and 1995.
Restrictions: Access to the minutes of board and committee meetings may require permission from the donor. Please contact the Archives for further information.
Accruals: No further accruals are expected from U.G.G., which merged with Agricore Cooperative Ltd. in 2001 to form Agricore United.
Related material: Agricore Cooperative Ltd. fonds (MSS 150, PC 156, TC 102, MC 6).
Finding aid: Printed finding aids are available in the Archives reading room and on-line finding aids are available at the links below:
MSS 76 (A1990-35, A1990-70, A1992-04, A1992-06, A1992-09, A1992-11, A1992-13, A1992-17)
Digitized Material
Archives of the Agricultural Experience
Archives of the Agricultural Experience - Grassroots Gallery