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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2025 Workshops Series
The 2025 series will feature seven workshops between February 4 and February 19. 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.
Registration is open and required to attend an in-person workshop. Class size is limited in some locations due to space constraints.
The 2025 workshop dates and locations are:
- Feb.4, Effingham
Effingham County Farm Bureau Building, 1102 W. Evergreen Ave., Effingham - Feb. 5, Breese
University of Illinois Extension Clinton County Office, 1163 North 4th St., Breese - Feb. 6, Pittsfield
University of Illinois Extension Pike County Office, Pike County Farm Bureau Bldg., 1301 E Washington, Pittsfield - Feb. 10, Monmouth
University of Illinois Extension Warren County Office, Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau Bldg., 1000 N Main St., Monmouth - Feb. 11, Springfield
Bank of Springfield (BOS) Center, 1 Convention Center Plaza, Springfield - Feb. 18, Freeport
Stephenson County Farm Bureau Bldg., 210 W. Spring St., Freeport - Feb. 19, Sycamore
University of Illinois Extension DeKalb Count Office, 1350 W. Prairie Dr., Sycamore
On the day of the workshop, check-in will open at 8:30 a.m., with the training program starting promptly at 9:00 a.m. IDOA staff will administer the exam, for those needing certification above 1000 animal units, following the training.
Any changes due to weather will be posted here ASAP. Please check back here if weather conditions are questionable.
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.
