(A) Each licensed handler shall keep in a place of safety complete and correct records and accounts of:

(1) Agricultural commodities received in the handler's warehouse and withdrawn therefrom;

(2) Unissued receipts and tickets in the handler's possession;

(3) Receipts and tickets issued by the handler;

(4) Receipts and tickets returned to and canceled by the handler;

(5) Agricultural commodities handled by the handler recorded on a position record that is updated daily showing the types of marketing transactions including storage under bailment, delayed price, grain bank, sold and priced, or any other types of transactions through which the handler is handling the commodities.

(B) The records and accounts required under division (A) of this section shall be retained by the licensed handler for such period as may be prescribed by the director of agriculture; except that copies of receipts or other documents evidencing ownership of any agricultural commodity, or liability as a licensed handler, shall be retained so long as such documents are outstanding, and any such document that has been canceled shall be retained for a period of not less than three years from the date of cancellation.

(C) All records and accounts required under this section shall be kept separate and distinct from records and accounts of any other business and shall be subject to inspection by the director or his representative at all reasonable times. A licensed handler who keeps false records and accounts is guilty of the offense of falsification under section 2921.13 of the Revised Code.

(D) The director may examine, or cause to be examined, at any reasonable time, the records and accounts, agricultural commodity inventory, or warehouse of a licensed handler, applicant for a handler's license, or unlicensed person suspected of being an agricultural commodity handler. If the director or the director's designated representative is unable to conduct or complete an examination of a licensed handler's records, inventory, or warehouse due to inadequate, incomplete, or noncurrent records, as required under this chapter and the rules adopted under it, the director or designated representative shall assess a charge against the licensed handler for necessary meals and lodging, mileage, hourly costs, and any other expense incurred or required by the director or the director's designated representative to complete the examination. The charge shall become a claim of the state.

(E) Each licensed handler shall keep separate records and accounts of all agricultural commodities that are delivered to the handler for storage under bailment agreements and shall not include those commodities in any accounting or computation of his assets.

(F) A commodity marketing transaction between a licensed handler and a depositor, except a transaction in which commodities are sold at the current market price at the time of delivery, is presumed to be a deposit under bailment unless a written contract executed by and between the handler and the depositor clearly indicates otherwise. Such written contract shall state who has title to the commodities, how the commodities are to be priced, any service charges for which the depositor is liable, and any other terms or conditions that would affect the net value of the commodities and the settlement to the depositor.

(G) A licensed handler who receives commodities from a depositor shall indicate the nature of the marketing transaction on the scale ticket. If no indication is made or if the indication is unclear, the transaction is presumed to be a deposit under bailment. If the scale ticket conflicts with a previously or subsequently executed contract of the type described in division (F) of this section, the contract prevails.

Effective Date: 1995 SB2 07-01-1996