January 10, 2025

Certified Livestock Manager Training workshops planned

By AgriNews Staff
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.

URBANA, Ill. — University of Illinois Extension and Illinois Department of Agriculture announced the 2025 Certified Livestock Manager Training Workshop schedule.

The series of seven in-person workshops will kick off on Feb. 4 in Effingham and conclude on Feb. 19 in Sycamore. These workshops meet the Illinois Livestock Management Facilities Act training requirements for Illinois livestock managers.

The 2025 workshop dates and locations are:

• Feb. 4 — Effingham County Farm Bureau Building, 1102 W. Evergreen Ave., Effingham.

• Feb. 5 — U of I Extension Clinton County Office, 1163 N. Fourth St., Breese.

• Feb. 6 — U of I Extension Pike County Office, Pike County Farm Bureau Building, 1301 E Washington, Pittsfield.

• Feb. 10 — U of I Extension Warren County Office, Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau Building, 1000 N Main St., Monmouth.

• Feb. 11 — Bank of Springfield Center, 1 Convention Center Plaza, Springfield.

• Feb. 18 — Stephenson County Farm Bureau Building, 210 W. Spring St., Freeport.

• Feb. 19 — U of I Extension DeKalb County Office, 1350 W. Prairie Dr., Sycamore.

Preregistration is required to attend an in-person workshop. For complete program details and to register, visit go.illinois.edu/CLMT.

Each workshop location will open at 8:30 a.m., and training will begin at 9 a.m. The training lasts three and a half 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.

A range of topics related to the operation, management and utilization of livestock waste and waste facilities will be covered. Additionally, the latest regulations, best management practices and research for manure-related issues will be discussed.

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 2025 season, there will be 50 questions on both paper-based and online tests. The passing grade is 70%, or 35 of 50 questions. A Spanish version of the test is now 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.

Cannot attend a workshop? 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.

Illinois Department of AgricultureLivestockUniversity of Illinois
AgriNews Staff

AgriNews Staff

The Illinois AgriNews and Indiana AgriNews staff is in the field each week, covering topics that affect local farm families and their businesses. We give readers information they can’t get elsewhere to help them make better farming decisions.