In 1998 the 77th session of the Iowa General Assembly passed House File 2494, which refined laws governing manure management in the State of Iowa. In March, the Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) voted to finalize the draft rules that allow the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to implement provisions of the law.

Section 33 of HF 2494 requires that commercial manure applicators and confinement site applicators meet specified certification requirements to apply manure. In March the EPC voted to allow commercial manure applicators and confinement site manure applicators to become certified to apply manure in Iowa by attending a certification workshop or by taking an exam.

Commercial manure applicators

A commercial manure applicator is defined as

"a person who engages in the business of and charges a fee for applying manure on the land of another person."

Commercial manure applicators must be certified by July 1, 1999. During this initial year of certification commercial manure applicators can become certified by attending 3 hours of instruction at a certification workshop or by taking an exam. Certification meetings for commercial applicators will be held on the following dates:

May 25

West Union, 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Mason City, 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

May 26

Carroll, 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Storm Lake, 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

May 27

Iowa City, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

June 24

Nevada, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

The certification meetings will be conducted by Iowa State University Extension. Exams will be conducted by the IDNR. Exam dates and locations will be announced in the future.

Confinement site manure applicators

A confinement site manure applicator is defined as "a person who applies manure stored at a confinement site other than a commercial manure applicator." Confinement site applicators must be certified by October 1, 1999. During this initial year of certification, confinement site manure applicators can become certified by attending 2 hours of instruction at a certification workshop or by taking an exam. Certification meetings will be scheduled through county extension offices and it is anticipated that all counties will have at least one certification workshop. At this time the certification workshops for confinement site manure applicators are being scheduled and they will be held during summer 1999. Exams will be conducted by the IDNR. Exam dates and locations will be announced in the future.

After attending a certification workshop, participants will be required to mail their signed certification form along with the $50 certification fee to the IDNR. The IDNR will then issue a certification card to the attendee. The $50 fee will be charged once every 3 years for the confinement site manure applicators and every year for the commercial manure applicators. Certification must be maintained every year by attending certification workshops or taking an exam.

For more information on the certification process and future listings regarding certification workshops, visit the Iowa Manure Management Action Group (IMMAG) website.