According to the Livestock Management Facilities Act, livestock facilities in Illinois that house 300 or more animal units (for example, 750 finishing hogs, 214 dairy cows, or 300 beef cattle) are required to have at least one person certified in the environmental protection aspects of manure management. The certificate is administered by the Illinois Department of Agriculture and is valid for three years.
The Certified Livestock Manager is expected to be a full-time employee who is familiar with the manure management system of the farm, accessible by phone, and located within a one-hour driving distance to the farm. Young family members (<18 years old) are welcome to take the training, but they cannot be the only certified manager at their facilities.
To become a certified livestock manager:
- 300-999 animal units: attend a workshop or complete online training
- ≥1,000 animal units: attend a workshop and pass IDoA's paper-based test offered immediately following each workshop or complete online training and pass the online test.
For the 2025 season, there will be 50 questions on both paper-based and online tests. The pass rate is 70% (35 questions). A Spanish version of the test is now available. Ahora ya está disponible una versión en español del examen para CLMT.
CLMT Certification Training Options
There are two opportunities to complete the University of Illinois Extension Certified Livestock Manager Training for certification. We offer CLMT workshops every winter, usually between January and March. If you cannot make a workshop or need certification in the off-season, we also offer online training modules that will meet CLM certification requirements.
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2026 Workshops Series
The 2026 CLMT in-person workshops series proposal calls for seven locations with dates in January and February, similar to previous years. More details should be posted and released by mid-November. Registration opening date is planned for December 1, 2025. The workshops will feature topics related to the operation, management, and utilization of livestock waste and waste facilities. Additionally, the latest regulations, best management practices, and research for manure-related issues will be covered.
Check Back in the fall for more details!
The online training follows the same format as in-person workshops. There are nine modules (10-20 min videos), and you can work through these modules at your own pace. If you have more than 1,000 animal units, you can take the test online at the end of the training. You are allowed multiple attempts on the test. Each time you take the test, 50 questions will be randomly selected from our question bank.
- The online training fee is $40 and IDoA's certification fee is $30.
- Once you create an account, you will have access to the training videos and also enrichment videos for three months.
