Officials with ISU Extension and Outreach say 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, in order to maintain or renew your confinement site manure applicator certification. The Shelby County workshop will be offered on January 29th, 2013 at 1:30 pm in Harlan at 906 Sixth Street.

Angela Rieck-Hinz, ISU Extension and Outreach program specialist and coordinator of the manure applicator certification program, says “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. “If applicators fail to get the two hours of continuing education each year, they will be required to pass a written exam to be eligible to recertify.”

The workshop serves as initial certification for those applicators that 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. Operators must be certified to handle, transport and apply manure if the confinement livestock operation has more than a 500 animal unit capacity, unless the manure is applied by a commercial manure applicator. The certification fee is $100 for a three-year certificate. The 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 of $25. 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 $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 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 are encouraged to complete certification requirements prior to March 1st to meet certification deadlines and avoid being assessed a $12.50 late fee for re-certification.

For more information about meeting dates and locations, or to schedule an appointment to attend training, contact the ISU Extension – Shelby County office at 712-755-3104 or visit http://www.agronext.iastate.edu/immag/certification/confdates.html to see the 2013 workshop schedule.