Northern Pulse Growers Association Inc

“The Executive Committee shall be the officers of the Board of Directors. This committee has the authority to hire and fire employees, and to transact any business they deem necessary to fulfill the goals of the Corporation. The Executive Committee will conduct annual employee and contract evaluations.”

“The corporation shall have three classes of membership which are described below: Growers - This class consists of persons or individuals who grow dry peas, chick peas, lupins, faba beans and lentils in the state of North Dakota or Montana. Associate Members - This class consists of those persons who maintain an interest in the purpose of the corporation. In order for an associate member to be considered as a member in good standing the annual dues assessment to such members must be paid in the amount and at the time as provided for by the corporation. Industry Members - This includes those individuals or businesses who are interested in the purposes of the corporation by virtue of their involvement with the dry pea, chickpeas, lupin, faba bean and lentil industry. For such members to be considered as members in good standing the annual dues assessment to such members must be paid in the amount and at the time as provided for by the corporation.”

“The Grower Membership elects the governing body.”

“The Form 990 will be reviewed by the Executive Director. The Form 990 will also be reviewed by the Board of Directors prior to filing the Form 990 with the IRS.”

“New board members are provided a copy of the policy to review and to acknowledge in writing that he or she has done so. Each person must annually complete a disclosure form identifying relationships, positions or circumstances in which the responsible person is involved that he or she believes may be a conflict of interest. The policy covers anyone serving as an officer, employee, member of the board of directors or member of any committee exercising powers delegated by the board of directors. After the potential conflict is disclosed to the Chair or Chair's designee, an appropriate disinterested person or committee will be appointed to investigate alternatives to the proposed contract or transaction. After exercising due diligence, the board or committee shall determine by a majority vote whether the contract or transaction is in the NPGA's best interest, for its own benefit or fair and reasonable. In doing so, the board or committee shall not count any vote that the director or committee member having a conflict of interest might otherwise have. If the board or committee has reasonable cause to believe a Responsible Person has failed to disclose actual or possible conflicts of interest, it shall inform the Responsible Person of the basis for such belief and afford the Responsible Person an opportunity to explain the alleged failure to disclose. If, after hearing the Responsible Person's response and after making further investigation as warranted by the circumstances, the board or committee determines the Responsible Person has failed to disclose an actual or possible Conflict of Interest, it shall take appropriate disciplinary and corrective action.”

“The Executive Committee conducts an annual review of the Executive Director. The Executive Committee discusses the Executive Director's compensation package, records the approval in minutes, and any board member can request the detailed information from an Executive Board member. Comparative salary information is obtained from OBM, a division of the ND State Government, which publishes compensation for Agriculture agencies. Recommendations for compensation are included in the budget for the upcoming year. The entire NPGA board of directors approves the budget for the upcoming year.”

“The annual report is posted on the NPGA website. All governing documents, financial statements, and the conflict of interest policy are also available on the website as well as upon request from the office.”