Commercial manure applicators can attend annual training to meet commercial manure applicator certification requirements on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will conduct Commercial Manure Applicator Certification training from 9 a.m. to noon at 72 locations across Iowa.

There is no fee for the workshop; however, pre-registration is required and walk-ins are not allowed. Applicators must register by Dec. 30, 2025, with the ISU Extension and Outreach County office where they plan to attend. A complete list of workshop locations can be found online. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m.

Live workshop trainings

Eight locations will host live workshops for Commercial Manure Applicator Certification as part of the Confinement Site Manure Applicator Training. Those seeking the Confinement Site certification will be excused after the two-hour session. To obtain the Commercial certification, participants must remain for the additional hour to fulfill the three-hour training requirement.

The dates, counties, workshop locations and phone numbers for the locations hosting a Live Commercial Manure Applicator Workshop are provided below:

• Jan. 15, Johnson County, 9:30 a.m. Johnson County Extension Office, Iowa City; 319-337-2145.
• Jan. 20, Osceola County, 1:30 p.m., Willow Creek County Recreation, 5945 Hwy 9, Ocheyedan; 712-754-3648.
• Jan. 26, Davis County, 1:30 p.m., Davis County Extension office, Bloomfield; 641-664-2730.
• Jan. 28, Wayne County, 1:30 p.m., Wayne County Extension Office, Corydon; 641-872-1755.
• Feb. 11, Kossuth County, 1:30 p.m., Kossuth County Extension Office, Algona; 515-295-2469.
• Feb. 12, Ida County, 1:30 p.m., Holstein Community Center, Holstein; 712-364-3003.
• Feb. 17, Story County, 1:30 p.m., Story County Extension Office, Ames; 525-337-1601.
• Feb. 23, Clay County, 1:30 p.m., Clay County Extension Office, Spencer; 712-262-2264.

Three live workshop locations are available for Commercial Manure Applicator Certification only:

• Jan. 6, Washington County, 1 p.m., Washington County Extension Office, Washington; 319-653-4811.
• Jan. 8, Sioux County, 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.,  Sioux County Extension Office, Orange City; 712-737-4230.
• Feb. 17, Carroll County, 1 p.m., Carroll County Extension Office, Carroll; 712-792-2364

Commercial manure applicators who need to recertify and those seeking certification for the first time should attend the statewide showing or one of the live workshops in their area. All certified commercial manure applicator licenses will expire on March 1, 2026. To avoid paying late fees, individuals wishing to renew must complete the required training and submit the necessary forms and fees to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources by March 1. The law requires all commercial manure applicators to attend three hours of training annually to meet certification requirements.

Businesses that primarily truck or haul manure of any type or from any source are also required to meet certification requirements.

Those unable to attend the program on Jan. 8 or one of the eight live workshop locations above need to schedule time with their ISU Extension and Outreach county office to watch the training videos. Due to scheduling conflicts, extension offices will no longer accept walk-in appointments to watch these videos, but do offer scheduled dates and times to provide this training.

If applicators cannot attend training during one of the scheduled reshow dates at their county extension office, they will be charged a $10 fee to view the training at their convenience. If attending the workshops or watching the three-hour video is not convenient, commercial applicators may contact their local DNR field office to schedule an appointment to take the certification exam. In addition to scheduling an appointment to take the exam, applicators must bring a pencil and a photo ID and should plan to bring a calculator.

Another option for commercial manure applicators is to take their training online at the Iowa DNR MAC Workday site (see “Manure Applicators Certification” > “Certification” > “Online”). Applicators will need to sign in and register for a Workday account.

In addition to the Commercial Manure Applicator training offered on Jan. 8, ISU Extension and Outreach will also offer five dry/solid manure workshops for commercial manure applicators in February 2026. Information regarding these workshops and locations is available on the online brochure. Program requirements are the same as the regular commercial training program, but this training program is geared toward dry/solid manure issues. 

For more information about the commercial manure applicator certification program, contact your ISU Extension and Outreach County office or review the Iowa State manure resources online.