62 Story Idea? Email Paul.Nolan@Farms.com Better Farming | May/June 2024 The legacy of the United Farmers still remains throughout the Prairies, particularly in the United Farmers of Alberta Co-operative, which has locations around Alberta more than 100 years after it was founded. United Farmers organizations became common in the Prairie provinces in the early 1900s as advocates for issues faced by the farming community. These issues included grain marketing strategies, legislature affecting agricultural communities, and the well-being of rural people. Although these organizations were present in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, they largely worked independently on a provincial basis. The earliest group was formed in Manitoba in 1903. The United Farmers of Manitoba (UFM) was established initially as the Manitoba Grain Growers Association, before officially changing its name in 1920. The United Farmers of Manitoba acted as lobbyists, tackling topics such as tariffs, prohibition, and women’s suffrage. In 1918, the UFM established a women’s section of the organization. They also founded the Grain Growers’ Grain Company, the first farming cooperative in Western Canada, and began publishing a periodical called the Grain Growers’ Guide, which educated about agricultural challenges across all the Prairie provinces. Although the group started as advocates for Manitoba’s farmers, they soon moved to become directly involved in provincial politics in 1922. After a successful campaign, UFM formed the Manitoba provincial government as the Progressive Party of Manitoba, but the organization separated from the political party after the election. In 1939, UFM became the Manitoba Federation of Agriculture and joined as a branch of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. Alberta formed a United Farmers organization in 1909 as an amalgamation of the Canadian Society of Equity and Alberta Farmers’ Association. The United Farmers of Alberta (UFA) was a lobbyist group, similar to UFM, with a focus on the rural economy and various social issues. The UFA specifically supported the development of cooperatives. In 1913, UFA lobbied the Liberal government to organize the Alberta Farmers’ Co-operative Elevator Company. In 1917, UFA joined the Grain Growers’ Grain Company to create United Grain Growers. The UFA also spent a short time as a political organization, similar to its Manitoba-based counterpart. The Alberta Non-Partisan League began encouraging direct political action by farmers in 1916, leading to the successful election of the UFA into provincial government from 1921 to 1935. The Alberta government under UFA guidance focused on advancing education and health services in the province and improving grain markets. After facing trouble through the Great Depression, the UFA ceased all of its political functions by 1939 and focused instead on supporting the cooperative model. In 1954, UFA opened its first Farm & Ranch Supply store in Calgary. There are currently more than 30 UFA supply store locations across Alberta, as well as many fuel stations across the western provinces, which became a part of the United Farmers in 1957. Saskatchewan’s United Farmers group was founded last as the United Farmers of Canada, Saskatchewan Section, in 1926. It campaigned for many of the same principles as the United Farmers of Alberta and Manitoba, with an interest in rural education programs, regulated marketing, and more progressive healthcare systems for farming communities. The United Farmers of Canada, Saskatchewan Section, also formed the United Farm Women of Saskatchewan, which worked with the organization on the overall goals while also independently addressing issues specific to farm women. In 1949, the group was renamed the Saskatchewan Farmers’ Union. This organization later joined others to form the National Farmers Union. These groups advocated for important issues, which affected farmers across the Prairies, and many of their efforts still support the agriculture industry of Western Canada. BF RURAL ROOTS Together United Farmers of Alberta and the Grain Growers' Grain Company created United Grain Growers. Biggar Museum & Credit Union Gallery Archives FROM CO-OPERATIVES TO POLITICS United Farmers organizations advocated for Prairie farmers & their shared goals. By Emily Croft
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