The Certified Livestock Manager Training (CLMT) program will mark the 10th anniversary of the Illinois Livestock Management Facilities Act with a series of workshops.
The workshops that run from December through March will help producers comply with the act and meet environmental regulations.
“The act requires any livestock facility that has more than 300 animal units to have someone certified in manure-handling procedures,” says Ted Funk, University of Illinois agricultural engineer and creator of the CLMT workshops. “Also, that certification has to be renewed every three years. So we want to offer them information that’s different from what they heard three years ago.”
This year’s topics include:
- Details of concrete construction. “The Illinois Department of Agriculture tells us they’re finding some construction problems out there during the required inspections,” says Funk. “So we’re going to show producers how to build floors, feedlots and tanks – structures that are a good-quality product and also meet state regulations.”
- Value of manure as fertilizer. “Manure is a viable alternative to fertilizer,” says Funk, “so we’re going to talk about the nutrient value in manure and how to market it to your crop-producing neighbors.”
- Manure sampling. “We’re working with laboratories to get their advice on manure sampling and what they’d recommend that producers changes,” he points out. “We’ll also talk about the quality of the samples that are coming in. Are producers doing a good job of getting representative samples and are they sampling enough?”
To receive manure certification, producers with more than 300 animal units must attend an approved training session or complete a written examination from the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Producers with more than 1,000 animal units must do both.
Each year species-specific workshops are offered. However, small producers or producers of any species can attend any workshop to be certified or learn more about environmental regulations.
Swine-specific workshops are scheduled for Dec. 19 at Newton, IL (618-783-2521); Jan. 22 at Mt. Carroll, IL (815-244-9444); Feb. 2 at Galesburg, IL (309-342-5108); and Feb. 9 at Nashville, IL (618-327-8881).
A workshop brochure is available at www.livestocktraining.com For questions, contact Randy Fonner, University of Illinois Extension specialist and coordinator of the workshops at (217) 333-2611 or [email protected]
