[3] The Alberta Farmers' Co-operative Elevator Company (AFCEC) had its roots in agitation by the agrarian reformer Edward Alexander Partridge of Sintaluta.

In 1911 the UFA asked Alberta premier Arthur Sifton to set up a co-operative system along the same lines as Saskatchewan.

[5] Charles Stewart, a future premier of Alberta and an advocate of government ownership of utilities, helped pass the bill.

[7] Its purpose was to operate grain elevators, sell farm supplies and handle livestock on a cooperative basis.

[8] The province of Alberta loaned up to 85% of the cost of building the grain elevators, while farmers raised the rest through purchase of stock.

[10] The AFCEC had its offices on the third floor of the Lougheed Building in Calgary, which also housed the headquarters of Tregillus Clay Products and Tregillus-Thompson Directory Publishers.

John Edward Brownlee provided valuable assistance in overcoming the political and legal obstacles to the merger.

[7] Although the UGG controlled just 8% of the elevators in the early 1920s, it forced the private companies to modify their pricing and practices to remain competitive.