Commercial manure applicators should plan to attend the Commercial Manure Applicator training program scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, from 9 a.m. to noon. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, will conduct the required three-hour training workshop at that time.

There is no fee to attend the workshop. Pre-Registration is required. No walk-ins are allowed. Please contact the ISU Extension and Outreach Tama County office at (641)484-2703.

Commercial manure applicators needing to recertify and those wanting to certify for the first time should attend. The workshop will provide the required three hours of annual training and will cover rules for applicators as well as land-application requirements, water quality, nitrogen management, improving soil structure and water management, bump testing for gas monitors and proper agitation, responding to a spill, and case studies.

All currently certified commercial manure applicator licenses will expire on March 1, 2023. Commercial applicators can attend training throughout the year, but if they were previously certified, they should plan to attend training and submit the forms and fees to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources prior to March 1, 2023, to avoid paying the late fees. Certification fees for commercial manure applicators have not changed for 2023. ISU Extension and Outreach will charge a $10 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 date at their local county extension office.

If attending the Jan. 5 commercial manure applicator program or watching the three-hour video is not convenient, commercial applicators may contact their local Department of Natural Resources field office to schedule an appointment to take the certification exam. In addition to needing an appointment to take the exam, applicators must bring a pencil and photo i.d. and should plan to bring a calculator.

Applicators have another option, online certification, in which an applicator can take their training online at the DNR MAC eLearning site at https://elearning-dnr.iowa.gov/. The applicator will need to sign in and get an A&A account.

Commercial manure applicators handling, storing, hauling, or land-applying primarily dry or solid manure are encouraged to attend the Dry Manure Applicator Workshops scheduled for February 2023. Dates and locations can be found in the link below.

For more information about the commercial applicator program, contact the ISU Extension and Outreach Tama County office at 641-484-2703 or access a list of the training locations at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/immag/commercial-manure-applicators