December 18, 2024

Certified Livestock Manager Training schedule set

There will be two Certified Livestock Manager Training options for this year: seven in-person workshops and an online training, which will provide Illinois livestock producers the manure management training they need to meet the requirements of the state’s Livestock Management Facilities Act.

There will be two Certified Livestock Manager Training options for this year: seven in-person workshops and an online training, which will provide Illinois livestock producers the manure management training they need to meet the requirements of the state’s Livestock Management Facilities Act.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — University of Illinois Extension and the Illinois Department of Agriculture announced the 2024 Certified Livestock Manager Training workshop schedule.

The series of seven in-person workshops will kick off Jan. 30 in Springfield and conclude Feb. 8 in Pittsfield. These workshops meet the Illinois Livestock Management Facilities Act training requirements for Illinois livestock managers.

Preregistration is required to attend an in-person workshop. To register for a workshop, visit go.illinois.edu/CLMT.

Registration opens Dec. 1. Class size is limited in some locations due to space constraints.

The 2024 workshop dates and locations are:

• Jan. 30 — Illinois Bank of Springfield Center, 1 Convention Center Plaza, Springfield.

• Jan. 31 — Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau Building, 1000 N. Main St., Monmouth.

• Feb. 1 — Kendall-Grundy County Farm Bureau Building, 4000 N. Division St., Morris.

• Feb. 2 — Stephenson County Farm Bureau Building, 210 W. Spring St., Freeport.

• Feb. 6 — Effingham County Extension office, 1209 N. Wenthe Drive, Effingham.

• Feb. 7 — Clinton County Extension office, 1163 N. Fourth St., Breese.

• Feb. 8 — Pike County Farm Bureau Building, 1301 E. Washington St., Pittsfield.

Each workshop will begin at 9 a.m. The training lasts 3.5 hours, and IDOA staff will administer the exam after the training. The U of I Extension training fee is $40 and IDOA’s certification fee is $30.

The training manual used will be the “Livestock and Poultry Environmental Stewardship Curriculum.” It is available at go.illinois.edu/manual.

The LMFA requires facilities designed for 300 or more animal units to have at least one employee certified in environmentally aware manure management techniques.

Facilities designed for 301 to 999 animal units must have at least one employee attend a workshop or complete the online training.

Facilities with more than 1,000 animal units must have a certified livestock manager attend a workshop and pass the IDOA exam or complete the online training and pass the online test.

For the 2024 season, there will be 50 questions on both paper-based and online tests. The pass rate is 70%, or 35 questions. A Spanish version of the test is available.

Young family members under 18 years old are welcome to take the training, but they cannot be the only certified managers at their facilities.

Online training and testing are available year-round and follow the same format as the in-person workshops. Online training involves nine modules of 10- to 20-minute videos that can be viewed at an individual’s own pace.

Those who have more than 1,000 animal units may take the test online. The online training can be accessed through the CLMT webpage.

If you need a reasonable accommodation or have questions about the CLMT program, contact Stanley Solomon, U of I Extension natural resources, environment and energy educator serving Jo Daviess, Stephenson and Winnebago counties, at 815-235-4125 or jssolomo@illinois.edu.

Illinois Department of AgricultureLivestockUniversity of Illinois