The Pool created a network of marketing alliances in North America and internationally which made it the largest agricultural grain handling operation in the province of Saskatchewan.

The first president was Alexander James McPhail, and the first grain elevator was built in Bulyea in 1925 (in the area of Section 36, Township 16, Range 15, W of the 2nd meridian).

In the early 20th century, grain elevators dotted the prairies every 6 to 10 miles (10–15 km) apart, a distance that was a good day's journey for farmer and horse with a full load.

Farmers could find services available to buy and grade grain at the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool elevators.

These developments led to newer and more advanced state-of-the-art grain handling systems called SWP Terminals which serve larger surrounding farming areas.

In March 1996, the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool became a publicly traded company, breaking from its roots as a co-operative.

While decent profits were realized in the first two years, the company incurred huge losses between 1999 and 2003 because of low commodity prices.

In February 2007, AU and JRI announced that they had negotiated a merger arrangement to form a publicly traded company to be known as "Richardson Agricore", subject to shareholder agreement.

The Pool had Agricore United's common and preferred shares delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) on June 20, 2007, and the members of the senior management team for the amalgamated company were announced the next day.

The Diary of Alexander James McPhail by Harold A. Innis, Alexander James McPhail Review author[s]: Harald S. Patton Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science / Revue canadienne d'Economique et de Science politique, Vol.