AMES, Iowa -- To help commercial manure applicators receive the three hours of annual continuing instruction required to maintain their manure applicator certification, Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) will conduct a Commercial Manure Applicator Satellite Downlink on Friday, Jan. 5, 2007, from 9 a.m. to noon.  There is no fee for the workshop but applicators must register with the county extension office where they plan to attend.

Currently certified commercial manure applicators should receive a copy of the program registration brochure containing workshop locations in the mail in early December.  If you do not receive a copy, please contact your county extension office or download a copy off the Web at: http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/immag/certification/07commmacbrochure.pdf

Commercial manure applicators who want to recertify and those who want to certify for the first time should attend. The workshop will provide the required three hours of annual training and will cover applicator rules, recordkeeping requirements, soil compaction issues, fuel savings and manure spill response plans.

All currently certified commercial manure applicator licenses will expire on March 1, 2007. Those wanting to renew must complete training requirements and submit forms and fees to the DNR prior to March 1, 2007. Those who submit application materials after March 1 cannot apply manure until the materials are received by the DNR. They also will need to pay a late fee if the forms and fees are submitted to DNR after March 1. If an applicator attended training for the first time in the fall of 2006, they should make plans to attend the training again in January 2007 to meet the annual requirements.

Commercial applicators are encouraged to attend the satellite downlink program due to the uncertainty of when videotapes will be available for training in late January and February.

Those unable to attend the program on Jan. 5, need to schedule time at their local ISU Extension County Office to watch the training videotape.  Please note that training videotapes may not be available until mid February so applicators should make every effort to attend the satellite program on Jan. 5.  Due to scheduling conflicts, many Extension Offices will no longer accept walk-in appointments to watch these tapes.  If attending the satellite program or watching the three-hour tape is not convenient, commercial applicators may contact their local IDNR field office to schedule an appointment to take the certification exam to meet certification requirements.

Applicators who want to take the exam may download a copy of the study guide manual to help prepare for the exam.  The study guide is available at the following Web address: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/store/ListItems.aspx?Keyword=PM%201778

If you have questions about the satellite downlink program, contact your local ISU Extension county office or on the Web at: http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/immag/mac.html

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