The fonds consists of constitutional documents, minutes, directories of old U.F.A. locals, annual reports, financial statements, agreements (including liens and mortgages), publications, and advertising calendars.
Administrative History
Local and regional units of the United Farmers of Alberta (U.F.A.) began organizing consumer co-ops for farmers in the 1910s. The Co-operative Committee of the U.F.A. was established in 1930 to coordinate these efforts. In 1932 the U.F.A. Central Co-operative Association Ltd. (U.F.A. Central Co-op) was incorporated as a subsidiary of the U.F.A., for the purposes of coordinating wholesaling and marketing. By 1935 it entered into a contractual relationship with Maple Leaf Petroleum Ltd. to market gasoline and petroleum products to members, through a network of rural service stations. By 1940 the co-op established a central office, warehouse, and retail outlet in the 100 block 11th Avenue SE in Calgary. By the mid-1940s the U.F.A. Central Co-op had sufficient capital to operate a network of hardware and grocery stores and service stations with a presence in most regions of Alberta. Norman F. Priestley was General Manager of U.F.A. Central Co-op during its active period. In December 1948 the U.F.A. changed its name to United Farmers of Alberta Co-operative Association Ltd. (UFA Co-op), and amended its Bylaws to permit it to function as a cooperative wholesaler, distributor, and marketing organization. It took over most of the functions of the U.F.A. Central Co-op. In January 1949 the advocacy function of the former U.F.A. amalgamated with the Alberta Farmers' Union to form the Farmers' Union of Alberta. The U.F.A. Central Co-op continued to act as a subsidiary of the United Farmers of Alberta Co-operative Association for the purpose of maintaining its contractual obligations. It also convened annual conferences of delegates representing local and regional farmers' consumer co-ops. By 1966 most of the local co-ops were amalgamated into a centralized organization, and the U.F.A. Central Co-op dissolved.