Skip to main content

Pesticide Information Office

Pesticide Information Office

People/Team

JASON FERRELL Professor and Center Director Weed Science & Invasive Plants

Jason Ferrell

Professor and Center Director
Weed Science & Invasive Plants
(352) 273-3685

        

Dr. Jason Ferrell has been faculty at the University of Florida IFAS since 2004. In that time, Dr. Ferrell has conducted over 400 extension meetings, written over 200 articles for extension newsletters and trade magazines, published 100 refereed scientific articles and mentored 19 graduate students. He has served as the editor for the Journal of Aquatic Plant Management since 2013. In 2017, he became the Director of the UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants (CAIP). He also serves as director of the Pesticide Information Office, provides oversight of this office and stays in regular communication with the state regulatory body, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and other stakeholder groups.

BRETT BULTEMEIER Extension Assistant Professor Weed Science & Invasive Plants

Brett Bultemeier

Extension Assistant Professor
Weed Science & Invasive Plants
(352) 294-6941

       

Dr. Bultemeier earned a B.S. in Biology and Environmental Studies from Manchester University in 2005, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Agronomy (Weed Science) in 2008 and 2012 from the University of Florida. From 2012-2019 he worked in private industry, focusing on aquatic plant management and directly training field personnel. Joining the Pesticide Information Office in 2019 he is tasked with training and certifying licensed pesticide applicators in the state of Florida. Brett will be responsible for developing new outreach materials to educate on all aspects of pesticide use and safety. He is very excited to be back at the University of Florida and to use his vast field experience to train and certify the next generation of pesticide applicators. Go Gators!

Headshot of Dr. KrausHeadshot of Dr. Kraus

Emily Kraus

Assistant Extension Scientist

Entomologist
(352) 392-4722

 

Dr. Emily Kraus began her higher education in Entomology at Purdue University. There, she focused on both biological control and medical entomology. She continued to her M.S. at Kansas State University maintaining her studies on mosquito-transmitted disease. She then served in the U.S. Peace Corps in Senegal, West Africa. Upon her return, she resumed her studies by working in integrated pest management in rice production at Louisiana State University. She did her postdoctoral fellowship at Rhodes University in South Africa where she again studied biological control. This experience set her up nicely for a position with FDACS as a Biological Scientist and subsequently her current role as a UF Extension Scientist for pesticide knowledge and safety at the Pesticide Information Office (PIO).

DAISY TAYLOR Administrative Assistant UF/IFAS Pesticide Information Office

Daisy Taylor

Administrative Assistant
(352) 392-4721

 

Mrs. Taylor most recently worked as an Information Specialist for the Florida Department of Agriculture in the Division of Plant Industry. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in Mass Communication from the University of Central Florida. Her responsibilities include overseeing the daily clerical operations of the Pesticide Information Office while maintaining accurate CEU course information and certification records. As a fourth generation Floridian, Daisy loves living in Gainesville and feels it’s great to be a Florida Gator!

About Us


The UF/IFAS Pesticide Information Office has a statewide mission to provide both training and testing for pesticide license certification and re-certification. Our goal is to ensure that the materials we develop are relevant, timely, and concise when communicating pesticide policy to a broad audience.

Pesticide Information Office

7922 NW 71st Street, Bldg. 460
Gainesville, FL 32653-3071
Phone: (352) 392-4721
Fax: (352) 392-3462