• USB Policy

  • USB Policies

    • Purpose
    • Scope
    • Terminology
    • Responsibility

  • Accounting

    • Financial Reporting

  • Anti-Harassment Policy

  • Bank and Investment Accounts

  • Board Budgeting and Allocation

    • Budgeting
    • Allocations
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  • Board Director Expense Reimbursement

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  • Compliance Reviews and Reporting

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  • Contract Authority

    • Signature Authority

  • Election of Directors, Officers and Executive Committee

    • Nomination Procedure – Officers and Executive Committee Members
    • Election Procedure – Officers and Executive Committee Members
    • Executive Committee Voting Rights
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  • Family Member Compensation

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    • Backup and Recovery
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  • Insurance

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  • Purchase of Property/Endowments

    • Purchase of Property
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  • Social Media

  • Solicitation of Funds

  • Sponsorship Policy

  • Travel Expense Reimbursements

  • Unscheduled Expenditures

  • USB Credit Cards

  • USB Liaison

  • Vendor/Contract Management and Reimbursement Policy

    • Administrative Requirements
    • Anti-Harrassment
    • Whistleblower Policy
    • Program Requirements
    • USB Travel Guidelines for Contractors

  • Appendix A – Delegation of Authority

  • Appendix B – Records Management Policy

  • Appendix C – Code of Conduct

  • Appendix D – AMS Directive 2210.2

  • Appendix E – Roles and Responsibilities

  • Appendix F – Permanent Bylaws of the United Soybean Board

  • Appendix G – Social Media Policy

  • Resources

• USB Reference Guide

  • Purpose

  • Scope

  • Terminology

  • USB Communication Standards Manual

  • Confidentiality Agreement

  • Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement

  • Contractor Agreement Template

  • Contractor Services Handbook

  • Exemption from Federal Income Tax

  • USDA Guidelines for AMS Oversight of Commodity Research and Promotion Programs

  • Long-Range Strategic Plan

• QSSB Manual

  • Purpose

  • Scope

  • Terminology

  • Responsibility

  • Election of the Board of Directors

    • Nomination Procedure – Board of Directors
    • Election Procedure – Board of Directors
    • Nominee's Agreement to Serve

  • QSSB Annual Financial Report Content Guideline

    • Annual Audit Report
    • Sample: Negative Assurances Report
    • Sample: Negative Assurances Paragraph

  • Purchase of Property/Endowments

  • QSSB Compliance

    • Annual Financial Report Guidelines

  • QSSB Compliance Requirements

    • Internal Controls
    • Collections Compliance
    • Travel Reimbursements
    • Contract Compliance
    • Program Expenditures
    • Internal Control Guidelines
    • QSSB Segregation
    • QSSB Cash Controls

  • QSSB Marketing Plans/Budgets

  • QSSB Policies and Procedures

  • QSSB Reviews and Reporting

    • General
    • Conducting Compliance Reviews
    • Reporting
    • Resolution
    • Financial Statement

  • QSSB Refund Request

  • Organic Soybean Certification Procedures

    • Organic Soybean Exemption Request Process

  • QSSB Standard Contract

  • Appendix A – QSSB Contract Guide

    • Model Research Funding Agreement
    • Research Funding Agreement Explanation
    • Model Vendor Agreement
    • Vendor Agreement Explanation

  • Appendix B – Nominations Agreement Form

    • Nomination Agreement Form

  • Appendix C – QSSB Financial Statement Audit Checklist

  • Appendix D – AMS Directive 2210.2

  • Appendix E – Purchase of Property/Endowments

    • Purchase of Property
    • Endowments

  • Appendix F – QSSB Provisions for USB Projects

    • QSSB Provisions for USB Projects

  • Appendix G – USB and QSSB Agreement Template

  • Appendix H – First Steps for QSSB/USB Board Requirements for Compliance Collections

  • Appendix I – USDA Remittance Settlement Agreement

  • Appendix J – State QSSB to QSSB Funds Transmittal Form

  • Appendix K – QSSB to USB Funds Transmittal Form

  • Appendix L – QSSB Refund Letters

    • Exhibit A – Refund Restriction Letter from the QSSB to Producer
    • Exhibit B – Cover Letter for Producer Refund Request
    • Exhibit C – Refund Letter from Producer to QSSB
    • Exhibit D – Producer Refund Procedures
    • Exhibit E – Refund Letter From QSSB to Producer

  • Appendix M – Schedule of Contracts/Grants in Process Template

  • Appendix N – Schedule of Activities Template

  • Appendix O – Sample Code of Conduct Policy

  • Appendix P – Sample Whistleblower Policy

  • Appendix Q – Sample Confidentiality Agreement

  • Appendix R – Sample Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement

USB Policy > Appendix B – Records Management Policy

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Records will be retained only during the period of their immediate use unless longer retention is required for contractual or legal requirements, or for internal or historical reference. Records that are no longer required or have satisfied their required periods of retention are to be disposed if in an appropriate manner. Records relevant to a legal action are not to be destroyed and any questions regarding these types of records should be forwarded to legal counsel.

Specific requirements, responsibilities and retention periods applicable to USB records are described in the USB Records Management Guide (USB RM Guide). All staff and contractor personnel are responsible for ensuring that accurate and complete records are identified, retained, stored, protected and subsequently destroyed, within their area of assigned responsibility, in accordance with the requirements specified in the USB RM Guide.

Definitions

Completion – indicates the completion or ending date of a defined project or file.

Records – any documentary material, regardless of physical form or electronic form, that is generated or received by USB in connection with transacting its business, is related to USB’s legal obligations and is retained for any period of time. Documentary material containing personal information, such as an appointment calendar, is considered a record.

• Active Records – records that continue to satisfy an immediate use requirement.
• Inactive Records – records for which use or reference diminishes sufficiently to permit removal from the immediate area of the responsible custodian without impairing normal business.
• Official Records – records that furnish the most conclusive information. If not stipulated otherwise, this is the record to which retention schedules apply. It may be other than the original or first copy, or the one used as the master.
• Permanent Records – records that are ineligible for destruction.
• Vital Records – official records that are considered essential to the continuity of USB. Without them, the business of USB would be significantly impaired or could not survive a catastrophe, as they are necessary for the recreation of the business.

Records Center – a designated area, typically off-site, that is utilized for organized storage, control and protection of inactive records, usually for a specified period of time.

Records retention/cleanout day – the day designated, once yearly, for the office-wide review/destruction of physical and electronic files and documents.

Retention period expressed as a certain number of years – the document should be disposed of after the specified number of years have passed, on the anniversary of its creation or, at the latest, by the yearly USB records retention/cleanout day.

While useful – indicates that there is no statutory or general business requirement for retention for a specified period of time. The document should be destroyed when, in the judgment of the person reviewing the files, it no longer serves a useful business, legal or research purpose. If the USB RM Guide says that a copy of an original document is to be retained “While Useful,” the copy should never be kept longer than the retention time specified for the original document. If the original document is destroyed prior to the stated retention time, the copy should be maintained as if it were the original document.

Year Originated – means the calendar year during which the record was originated or acquired. “Year Originated + 1” means that if the document was originated this year, it is to be kept the rest of this year plus one more year.

Procedure

I. Records Screening

A. Records are to be screened periodically to determine if they areActive or Inactive (see Definitions). Active records are to be stored in the immediate area of the responsible custodian.

B. Records determined to be Inactive are to be reviewed for possible storage in the designated Records Center (see Definitions). An assessment is to be made of the:

Need for retention
Frequency of reference
Name of reference
Established retention period
Filing requirements
Volume of files

C. Duplicate and multiple materials, as well as paper and binder clips, are to be eliminated. Whenever possible, Official Record (see Definitions) is the one to be retained. Official Records are not to contain personal notations, other than the author’s signature.

II. Records Storage

A. Records Center Storage

Records Centers are to be in a safe, secure location and protected from environmental and other potential harm.
Records storage containers are to be labeled by year or specified periods and with sufficient detail to facilitate their reference, review and destruction. Each records storage container should include a listing of the files housed in that container.

B. Vital Records Storage

Records which are essential to the continuity of USB are to be identified and designated as Vital Records.
Vital Records are to be duplicated and the duplicate records stored in off-site locations for reconstructive use in the event of a disaster.

C. Electronic Storage

The records management procedures and records retention periods set forth in the USB RM Guide are applicable to electronic records. Records generated and maintained in company information systems or equipment (including the network drive) are to be periodically reviewed by the individual records custodians to ensure that the records management requirements set forth in the USB RM Guide are being met for electronic information systems.
Records stored in electronic media are to be grouped in a fashion to facilitate review and destruction at appropriate intervals.

D. Files Purging

At least once annually, a formal files-purging process will be conducted. The process is to be planned and carried out within applicable areas of responsibility. During, or as a result of, this process:
Records that require retention are to be identified, grouped, labeled, and transferred to the records center for appropriate storage;
records that have exceeded their required retention period are to be reviewed and destroyed, and
Unnecessary duplication and multiple copies of records are to be identified and destroyed.
USB Management will ensure that the business files of terminating staff are reviewed and purged concurrent with the staff’s departure.

E. Each staff/contractor personnel is responsible for assisting in the records-management process. Such responsibilities generally include:

Supporting preparation and maintenance of local records retention schedules;
Identifying, packaging, documenting and transferring applicable records to the records center;
Retaining only those records assigned to their function/custodial responsibility in accordance with the guidelines in the USB RM Guide;
Retrieving records from the records center within the time period established by the records management function; and
Reviewing and authorizing destruction of records at the retention expiration date.