Below is a guide on how to use the system, plus key resources and best practices to help ensure documents are stored correctly and accessibly.

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1. Access & Login

• SharePoint is accessed via AGR-SoilWaterConservation at ncconnect.sharepoint.com/sites/AGR-SoilWaterConservation. NC Agriculture
• Use your county email address and password. NC Agriculture
• If you’re logging in for the first time, or if you have access issues, contact Kristina Fischer at the NC Division of Soil & Water Conservation for help. NC Agriculture

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2. What to Submit via SharePoint

Districts are required to submit certain forms, reports, and other documentation via SharePoint. These may include:

• Financial or cost‐share documents
• Meeting minutes, agendas, or other records of public meetings
• Contract or program forms
• Other district or Division required forms/resources NC Agriculture

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3. Naming Conventions & Organization

To keep things consistent, discoverable, and compliant, the Division provides a quick list of naming conventions for files in SharePoint. These guidelines help ensure documents are stored in a way that’s easy to locate and reference later. NC Agriculture

Some best practices (drawn from both the Division’s guidance and the NC State Archives’ general file-naming standards) include:

• Use descriptive and consistent names, e.g. “CountyName_DocumentType_Date” (for instance: “Wake_CostShareReport_2025-06-30”).
• Avoid special characters (, /, *, etc.), which may cause issues in SharePoint or with backups.
• Include the date in a standardized format (YYYY-MM-DD) to help with sorting.
• Make sure the document type is clear (Agenda, Minutes, FinancialReport, Contract, etc.).

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4. Document Retention & Records Schedules

• Once submitted, documents are subject to retention and disposition schedules. Local Soil & Water Conservation Districts adopt both the General Records Schedule for Local Government Agencies and the special schedule for Soil & Water Conservation Districts. NC Agriculture
• Boards should formally adopt the schedules at a meeting, have them signed (by the Chair and Department Head), and return signature pages to the Records Analysis Unit at the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. NC Agriculture
• These schedules guide how long documents must be kept, and when they may be disposed of or archived.

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5. Confidentiality Considerations

Some documents may contain confidential information (e.g. certain data from agricultural producers or geo‐spatial information tied to farms) that are protected under state or federal law. Before submission or sharing, verify whether any submitted document contains confidential content, and follow the Division’s rules for handling such materials. NC Agriculture