University of Illinois Extension and Illinois Department of Agriculture announced the 2025 Certified Livestock Manager Training Workshop (CLMT) schedule. The series of seven in-person workshops will kick off on Feb. 4 in Effingham and conclude on Feb. 19 in Sycamore, with one scheduled locally in Freeport, Il, on Feb. 18. These workshops meet the Illinois Livestock Management Facilities Act (LMFA) training requirements for Illinois livestock managers.
The 2025 workshop dates and locations are, Feb. 4 in Effingham, Feb. 5 in Breese, Feb. 6 in Pittsfield, Feb. 10 in Monmouth, Feb. 11 in Springfield, Feb. 18 in Freeport, and Feb. 19 in Sycamore.
Pre-registration 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 promptly at 9 a.m. The training lasts 3.5 hours, and IDOA staff will administer the exam after the training. The Illinois 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. Ahora ya está disponible una versión en español del examen para CLMT! Young family members (<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. Those who have more than 1,000 animal units may take the test online.
All participants must register and check for weather-related updates at go.illinois.edu/CLMT.
If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in or have questions about the CLMT program, please contact University of Illinois Extension at 815-235-4125 or Stanley Solomon at jssolomo@illinois.edu.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.