It reaches to the fence,
It wraps it, rail by rail,
Till it is lost in fleeces;
It flings a crystal veil
On stump and stack and stem, —
The summer’s empty room,
Acres of seams where harvests were,
Recordless, but for them…
-Emily Dickinson
As I gaze across the countryside, I see the fields barren from harvest to be renewed in vigorous growth next spring. But spring will have to be a distant thought now that the cold winds of winter fall upon us.
As a kid I enjoyed winter. Building snow forts, snowball fights with friends and family, making snow angels, hunting and yes, even helping my dad shovel snow. As I’ve grown older every time I look at the snow shovel I begin to curse.
I never really took up the passion for winter activities like my brother-in-law, John. His docket this time of year includes ice fishing, downhill skiing, cross country skiing, snowmobiling and about any other thing you can do in the snow. Me, my winter activity twixt shoveling and splitting wood is sitting in front of a warm fire, drink in hand and falling asleep in my easy chair.
So regardless of which path to take, his or mine, choose wisely.
CLMT
The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA), along with the University of Illinois Extension, is hosting the Certified Livestock Manager Training (CLMT). There will be two training options this year: eight in-person workshops and an online training, which will provide Illinois livestock producers the manure management training they need to meet the requirements of the state's Livestock Management Facilities Act.
To attend an in-person workshop, registration is required at go.illinois.edu/CLMT. Registration will open Dec. 1, 2023, and class size is limited in some locations. Cost for the training is $70.
The 2024 workshop dates and locations in our area are:
Jan. 30, Bank of Springfield Center, Springfield
Jan. 31, Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau Building, Monmouth
Feb. 1, Grundy County Farm Bureau Building, Morris
Feb. 2, Stephenson County Farm Bureau Building, Freeport
Workshops will all begin at 9 a.m. and will last 3.5 hours. The training manual used will be the “Livestock and Poultry Environmental Stewardship Curriculum.” It is available at go.illinois.edu/manual. After the workshop, those with over 1,000 Animal Units (AU) will be required to take a paper exam.
Producers also have the option of taking online training that consists of nine modules of 10-20-minute videos that can be viewed at an individual’s own pace via an online learning platform, Moodle. The online training can be access through the CLMT webpage at go.illinois.edu/CLMT. Producers who prefer to complete the online training will have access to enrichment content (optional videos) for three months.
Those who have more than 1,000 animal units may take the exam online and will remain available all year around. Multiple attempts on the online exam are allowed. Producers with less than 1,000 AUs will work through the lessons only. Having more than 1,000 AU requires completing the lessons and passing the online exam.
Exams will be offered in both English and Spanish, for both the in-person and online options. The certification for the 2024 season will be 50 questions on both the paper-based and online exams. An individual must answer 70% of the questions correctly to pass.
The Livestock Management Facilities Act of 1997 requires:
Facilities with 300 or more animal units to have at least one employee certified in proper manure handling procedures.
Facilities with 300 to 999 animal units, the employee either must complete online CLM training or workshop or pass the Illinois Department of Agriculture's Certified Livestock Manager online exam.
The employee of facilities with more than 1,000 or more units must complete one of the training options and pass the Certified Livestock Manager online exam to achieve certification.
Any questions relating to the Certified Livestock Manager Training program can be directed to the University of Illinois Extension at (815) 235-4125 or by emailing Stanley Solomon at jssolomon@illinois.edu.
“Christmas is a season for kindling the fire for hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.” -Washington Irving
Ron Kern is the manager of the Ogle County Farm Bureau.
