Confinement Site Manure Applicator Training locally in early February
Confinement site manure applicators should plan to attend a two-hour workshop offered by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to maintain or renew their confinement site manure applicator certification.
“Iowa law requires confinement site manure applicators to attend two hours of continuing education each year of their three-year certification period or take and pass the exam once every three years,” said Dan Andersen, associate professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering and extension agriculture engineering specialist at Iowa State University, and coordinator of the manure applicator certification program. “If applicators fail to attend the two hours of continuing education each year, they will be required to pass a written exam to be eligible to recertify.”
Each year, nearly 300 confinement site applicators fail to attend training and must pass the remedial exam prior to being eligible to renew their certification for the following year.
The 2024 confinement site program will include rules for applicators as well as land-application and setback distance requirements, biosecurity considerations, pit pumping and ventilation safety, dragline systems, terraces and manure application, and case studies.
ISU Extension and Outreach county offices have a complete list of workshop dates and locations, or view a list at: https://iastate.app.box.com/s/8hd8tsc6bj7z48ov8r8mhla63zmj3tpn. Workshop dates in late January and early February include Allamakee/ Winneshiek Counties - ISU Extension Office in Waukon, 563-568-6345: February 7 at 1:30 p.m.
These workshops serve as initial certification for those applicators who are not currently certified, recertification for those renewing licenses and as continuing education for those applicators in their second or third year of their license.
The certification fee is for a three-year certificate. This fee is paid when applicators initially get certified and then every three years when they re-certify to apply manure. Confinement site applicators are also required to pay an annual education fee. All fees and application forms must be sent to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to complete certification requirements.
ISU Extension and Outreach will charge a fee to applicators choosing to view the certification materials on a non-scheduled reshow day at the county office. For this reason, all applicators are encouraged to attend the workshops or to plan to view training materials on the scheduled reshow date at their local county extension office. This fee will not apply to workshops or scheduled reshow dates. Contact the county extension office to determine which days are scheduled for the manure applicator certification programs.
Applicators have another option for certification; online certification, in which an applicator can take their training online at DNR MAC eLearning site at https://elearning-dnr.iowa.gov/. The applicator will need to sign-in and get an A&A account.
Applicators are encouraged to complete certification requirements annually prior to March 1 to meet certification deadlines and avoid being assessed a late fee for re-certification. Contact the local ISU Extension county office for more information about the Manure Applicator Certification Program or visit https://www.extension.iastate.edu/immag/confinement-site-applicators to see the workshop schedule.
