Iowa State University Extension and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will conduct a statewide commercial manure applicator training Jan. 3. Applicators can attend the annual training near them to meet commercial manure applicator certification requirements.

The training will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at 76 locations in Iowa and one location in Minnesota. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. There is no fee for the workshop, but applicators must register by Dec. 26 with the ISU Extension and Outreach county office where they plan to attend. A complete list of workshop locations is at ISU Extension.

Commercial manure applicators needing to recertify and those wanting to certify for the first time should attend. All currently certified commercial manure applicator licenses will expire on March 1. Those wanting to renew must complete training requirements and submit forms and fees to the DNR before March 1 to avoid paying late fees.

The law requires all commercial manure applicators to attend three hours of training annually to meet certification requirements. Businesses that primarily truck or haul manure of any type or from any source are also required to meet certification requirements.

Those unable to attend the program on Jan. 3 need to schedule time with their ISU Extension and Outreach county office to watch the training video. Due to scheduling conflicts, many Extension offices will no longer accept walk-in appointments to watch the video, but they do offer scheduled dates and times to provide this training.

If you can’t attend training during one of the scheduled re-show dates at your county Extension office, you will be charged a $10 fee to view the training at your convenience.

Online training
If attending the workshops or watching the three-hour video is not convenient, commercial applicators may contact their local DNR field office to schedule an appointment to take the certification exam.

Another option for commercial manure applicators is to take their training online at the DNR MAC eLearning site. The applicator will need to sign in and get an account.

In addition to the commercial manure applicator training offered Jan. 3, ISU Extension and Outreach will also offer six dry-solid manure workshops for commercial manure applicators in February.

Information regarding these workshops and locations is also contained in the link to the brochure listed above. Program requirements are the same as the regular commercial training program, but this training program is geared more toward dry-solid manure issues.

For questions about the commercial manure applicator certification program, contact your ISU Extension and Outreach county office or visit ISU Extension.

Source: Iowa State University