February 2005

New Pesticide Information Coordinator
on Board

Please allow me to introduce myself to you as I am the new Pesticide Information Coordinator with UF/IFAS.  My name is Fred Fishel and I assumed this position on February 1.  The home department where I will be housed is Agronomy as an Associate Professor with my office located in the Pesticide Information Office in Building 164 on Mowry Road.

Let me provide you with a little of my background.  I am a native North Carolinian where I earned my Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Crop Science from N.C. State University.  After that time, I joined the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service as a County Agricultural Agent in a rural northeastern North Carolina county with duties that included Pesticide Education.  After several years as a County Agent, I pursued my Doctorate degree at Mississippi State University which was completed in Weed Science in 1992.  Since that time, I have been with the University of Missouri serving as Coordinator for MU Extension’s Pesticide Safety Education Program.  Moving into this position at UF/IFAS seemed to be an obvious fit for me professionally.

Personally speaking, I enjoy saltwater fishing, baseball and traveling.  Although I still have some “Bulldog” in me, I will adapt to becoming a “Gator” in short order. 

I wish to thank Dr. Norm Nesheim for the outstanding leadership that he has provided for this program over the years.  Norm is currently taking me under his wing to help me gain an understanding of the program here in Florida.  While there are many similarities to Missouri’s, there are also many more complexities that I need to grasp.  I look forward to working with the pesticide applicator clientele around the state and the numerous organizations associated with this program.  When in Gainesville, feel free to stop by and introduce yourself as I’d be delighted to hear from you.

Next