URBANA, Ill. — The importance of livestock's health, overall well-being, and safety is the responsibility of producers and all who care for the animals daily. Having certified individuals on staff strengthens an operation through shared knowledge and building conversations with individuals responsible for livestock care.
Depending on an operation’s size, livestock manager training certification is required for many Illinois production livestock facilities. University of Illinois Extension and the Illinois Department of Agriculture will kick off the 2025 Certified Livestock Manager Training Workshop schedule on Feb. 4. Seven locations around the state will host training workshops that meet the Illinois Livestock Management Facilities Act training requirements for Illinois livestock managers.
Pre-registration is required to attend an in-person workshop. For complete program details and to register, visit go.illinois.edu/CLMT. Class size is limited in some locations due to space constraints.
The 2025 workshop dates and locations include:
- 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 County Office, 1350 W. Prairie Dr., Sycamore
Each workshop location will open at 8:30 a.m., and training will begin 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.
Training will cover a range of topics related to the operation, management, and utilization of livestock waste and waste facilities. The latest regulations, best management practices, and research for manure-related issues will also be discussed. The training manual used will be the Livestock and Poultry Environmental Stewardship Curriculum. It is available online 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 upon request. Young family members under 18 are welcome to take the training, but they cannot be the only certified managers at the 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 needing certification for over 1,000 animal units may take the test online following the training.
All participants must register and check for weather-related updates at go.illinois.edu/CLMT. If you have program questions or need a reasonable accommodation to participate, please contact University of Illinois Extension Educator Stanley Solomon at jssolomo@illinois.edu or by phone at 815-235-4125.
SOURCE: Stanley (Jay) Solomon, natural resources, environment, and energy educator, Illinois Extension
WRITERS: Stanley (Jay) Solomon, natural resources, environment, and energy educator, Illinois Extension; Jenna Braasch, media communications coordinator, Illinois Extension
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.