2024 CERTIFIED LIVESTOCK MANAGER IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS AND ONLINE TRAINING ANNOUNCED

Springfield, IL - The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA), along with the University of Illinois Extension, is hosting the Certified Livestock Manager Training (CLMT). There will be two training options this year: eight 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.

"This partnership between IDOA and the University of Illinois Extension provides the tools, education, and training for our state's certified livestock managers to become skilled in best management practices," said IDOA Director Jerry Costello II. "I am extremely proud of the Department and University for its steps to increase accessibility by including bilingual options to ensure everyone on the farm has the ability to learn and implement these tools to become good stewards of the land."

To attend an in-person workshop, registration is required at go.illinois.edu/CLMT. Registration will open December 1, 2023, and class size is limited in some locations. Cost for the training is $70.

The 2024 workshop dates and locations are:

• January 30, Bank of Springfield Center, Springfield

• January 31, Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau Building, Monmouth

• February 1, Grundy County Farm Bureau Building, Morris

• February 2, Stephenson County Farm Bureau Building, Freeport

• February 6, Effingham County U of I Extension Office, Effingham

• February 7, Clinton County U of I Extension Office, Breese

• February 8, Pike County Farm Bureau Building, Pittsfield

Workshops will all begin at 9:00 a.m. and will last 3 ½ hours. The training manual used will be the "Livestock and Poultry Environmental Stewardship Curriculum." It is available at go.illinois.edu/manual. After the workshop, those with over 1,000 Animal Units (AU) will be required to take a paper exam.

Producers also have the option of taking online training that consists of nine modules of 10-20-minute videos that can be viewed at an individual's own pace via an online learning platform, Moodle. The online training can be access through the CLMT webpage at go.illinois.edu/CLMT. Producers who prefer to complete the online training will have access to enrichment content (optional videos) for three months.

Those who have more than 1,000 animal units may take the exam online and will remain available all year around. Multiple attempts on the online exam are allowed. Producers with less than 1,000 AUs will work through the lessons only. Having more than 1,000 AU requires completing the lessons and passing the online exam.

Exams will be offered in both English and Spanish, for both the in-person and online options. The certification for the 2024 season will be 50 questions on both the paper-based and online exams. An individual must answer 70% of the questions correctly to pass.

The Livestock Management Facilities Act of 1997 requires:

• Facilities with 300 or more animal units to have at least one employee certified in proper manure handling procedures.

o Facilities with 300 to 999 animal units, the employee either must complete online CLM training or workshop or pass the Illinois Department of Agriculture's Certified Livestock Manager online exam.

o The employee of facilities with more than 1,000 or more units must complete one of the training options and pass the Certified Livestock Manager online exam to achieve certification.

Any questions relating to the Certified Livestock Manager Training program can be directed to the University of Illinois Extension at (815) 235-4125 or by emailing Stanley Solomon at jssolomon@illinois.edu.