By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

URBANA, Ill. — Livestock consultants in the state of Illinois are now eligible to attain certification without traveling out of state and undertaking cumbersome application processes, thanks to a new online resource offered by the University of Illinois extension.

A new 11-week Web course, including three traveling field days, offered by the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) will begin Sept. 8, from 4-6:30 p.m., and continue through Nov. 17. The program is targeted toward service providers to the livestock industry seeking qualification to prepare comprehensive nutrient management plans (CNMPs), according to Laura Pepple, livestock extension specialist for UoI.

“Prior to the initiation of this course, consultants looking for certification for CNMPs had to go outside the state of Illinois to receive their training, then petition the Illinois Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to allow them to become certified in the state of Illinois,” explained Pepple.

“The Technical Service Provider (TSP) program is 10 or 11 years old. A national program was started at Iowa State University in 2005 that required (applicants) to travel from other states to attain certification, but in 2009, NRCS allowed individual states to set requirements for certifying consultants in TSP areas.

“When the national program quit operating, there was a need for states to begin their own training programs. As far as I know, this is the first course of its kind in the state of Illinois,” she added.

Allowing individual states to certify livestock consultants permits specialized training specific to regional demographics, Pepple said. “The material we’ll be presenting in this course is Illinois-specific. We’ll focus on regulations, rules and conservation practices that farmers in Illinois use,” she said.

The course allows an option for those earning continuing education credits such as certified crop advisers, who may opt out of the field trips required of those seeking TSP certification.

“Folks that are looking for their TSP certification through NRCS are required to come to three field days during the course. (Others) can participate in the webinars and not have to come to the field days to get credit for the course,” Pepple said.

Webinars will include discussions on topics such as conservation planning, nutrient management, land treatment practices and manure waste handling and storage. Participants will conclude their education with timely information on national and state regulations pertaining to CNMPs, proper CNMP record-keeping and instruction on installing CNMPs from experienced plan writers.
Field days, including a visit to the UoI Dairy Farm, will provide hands-on experience using technical resources such as Websoil Survey and RUSLE2 to implement the CNMP process.

“RUSLE2 is an erosion program that NRCS uses that allows consultants to plug in specific field information (to a computer) and determine what conservation practices are applicable for that field, based on the amount of erosion present,” according to Pepple. “Students will have an opportunity to work with a retired NRCS engineer in the field and the computer lab.”

Pepple said the “flexible” deadline for registration for the course is Sept. 1, though late registrations could be accepted as late as Sept. 5. The course has been approved for 24 certified crop adviser continuing education units, 14.5 credits in the nutrient management field and 9.5 in soil and water.
For more information on course requirements and fees, visit http://web.extension.illinois.edu/tsp or call Pepple at 217-244-0083.