SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Department of Agriculture has announced seven cities will host Certified Livestock Manager Training workshops. The workshops provide Illinois livestock producers the manure management training they need to meet the requirements of the state’s Livestock Management Facilities Act.
The workshops will be held throughout the state this month, concluding on February 23rd in Springfield. Workshops are also scheduled to be held in Bloomington, Effingham, Breese, Galesburg, Freeport and Sycamore.
“The livestock industry plays an integral role in our state’s ag economy,” said Deputy Director Warren Goetsch. “The Livestock Management Facilities Act and Certified Livestock Manager Training Workshops are designed to ensure Illinois farmers have the opportunity to succeed in a rapidly changing livestock industry while safeguarding our environment and surrounding communities.”
The Livestock Management Facilities Act 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 attend a workshop or pass the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s Certified Livestock Manager exam.
• Employee of facilities with more than 1,000 or more units must do both to achieve certification.
To register for a workshop, call the University of Illinois Extension at (217) 244-9687 or go online to www.livestocktraining.com/
The workshops will use the instructional manual for the national Livestock and Poultry Environmental Stewardship (LPES) Curriculum, which can be purchased at the time of registration for $67.50, including shipping and handling. The manual can also be purchased on compact disc for $32.50. The curriculum is available for free online at the Extension’s livestock training website. Please note, if you have a manual or CD from 2003 or newer, you will not need to purchase a new one.
Employees also have the option of taking five online quizzes. Passing them is the equivalent of having attended a workshop, but does not substitute for passing the Certified Livestock Manager exam. There is no charge to take the quiz online, other than the cost of the manual. To register for the online program option, go to http://web.extension.illinois.
On the day of the workshop, registration will open at 8:30am with the training program starting promptly at 9:00am. The complete schedule of workshop dates and locations are listed below:
| February 7, 2017 | McLean County Extension Office 1615 Commerce Parkway Bloomington, IL |
| February 8, 2017 | Effingham County Extension Office 1209 Wenthe Drive Effingham, IL |
| February 9, 2017 | Clinton County Extension Office 1163 North 4th Street Breese, IL |
| February 14, 2017 | Knox County Extension Office 180 S. Soangetaha Road, Suite 108 Galesburg, IL |
| February 15, 2017 | Stephenson County Farm Bureau Bldg 210 W. Spring Street Freeport, IL |
| February 16, 2017 | DeKalb County Farm Bureau Bldg 1350 W. Prairie Drive Sycamore, IL |
| February 23, 2017 | Illinois Department of Agriculture State Fairgrounds, Springfield, IL |
— Illinois Department of Agriculture
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