Schaan appointed NDDOA pesticide enforcement supervisor

Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has appointed Blake J. Schaan as the pesticide enforcement supervisor in the North Dakota Department of Agriculture.

“Blake has done excellent work in our noxious weed program, especially in education and outreach,” Goehring said. “This experience, together with his farm background, including certification as a pesticide applicator, and his training in biology, made him the outstanding candidate for this position.”

A Rugby native, Schaan attended Minot State University-Bottineau before graduating from the University of North Dakota with a degree in wildlife biology. While in college, he was a seasonal employee for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department and USDA Wildlife Services. He was hired as a noxious weed specialist in NDDA in 2008.

Goehring said Schaan will direct a seven-person staff, including six field inspectors. He will report to Jim Gray, director of NDDA’s Pesticide, Feed and Fertilizer Program.

Under state law and an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NDDA regulates the registration, distribution, sale, storage, and use of pesticides in North Dakota.

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