The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA), along with the University of Illinois Extension, is hosting the Certified Livestock Manager Training (CLMT). Two training options are being offered 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.
“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 working 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 is open and class size is limited in some locations. The U of I training fee is $40 while IDOA’s certification fee is $30.
The 2025 workshop dates and locations are:
- February 4, Effingham County Farm Bureau Building, Effingham
- February 5, Clinton County U of I Extension Office, Breese
- February 6, Pike County U of I Extension, Pittsfield
- February 10, Warren County U of I Extension, Monmouth
- February 11, Bank of Springfield Center, Springfield
- February 18, Stephenson County Farm Bureau Building, Freeport
- February 19, DeKalb County U of I Extension, Sycamore
Workshops begin at 9 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- to 20-minute videos that can be viewed at an individual’s own pace via an online learning platform, Moodle. The online training can be accessed 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 AUs may take the exam online. It will remain available all year round. 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 AUs 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 exam for the 2025 season will consist of 50 questions on both the paper-based and online versions. An individual must answer 70% of the questions correctly to pass.
About the Livestock Management Facilities Act
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.
- 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.
- 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.
***Courtesy of The Illinois Department of Agriculture***
