Richard H. Molinar

Richard H. Molinar

Farm Advisor, Emeritus

rhmolinar@ucanr.edu
M.S. Behavioral Science with a minor in IPM, California State University Bakersfield. 1990
B.S. Crop Science and vegetables, Cal Poly State University. 1971
Small farms, vegetable crops, organic farming, insect/weed management, specialty crops, sugar peas, strawberries, eggplant, squash, Asian vegetables such as basil, lemongrass, green beans, long beans, gailon, bittermelons, refugee farmers, Hmong, Lao, fluent in Spanish

Richard has been a UCCE Farm Advisor since 1986.  He spent the first 9 years in Alameda County as a Urban Horticulture Advisor working with small farms, teaching weed identification and control to licensed applicators and PCA's, and coordinating a successful Master Gardener (MG) Program that trained over 350 volunteers.  He helped coordinate the first statewide MG conference held in UC Davis July 15-17, 1994. He also produced 60 29-minute television shows aired over public access television while in Alameda County.

Richard moved to UCCE Fresno County in 1995 to run the small farm specialty crop program which was initiated in 1976 by Pedro Ilic.  He works with over 1,300 Laotian refugees (860 Hmong, 350 Lowland Lao, 50 mien) to help them better understand agriculture technology in the United States.  He has employed a Hmong assistant, Michael Yang, to help him with communication and cultural issues in working with this clientele. He also works with Hispanic, African American, and Caucasian farmers in areas of marketing, regulatory compliance, farm food safety, irrigation, fertilization, pest management and weed control, organic production, and new crops.  He worked closely with Manuel Jimenez in the blueberry variety development for the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) 1998-2006.  Richard has coordinated a 59-minute Hmong radio broadcast for the SJV for the past thirteen years, collaborating with USDA-RMA and FSA.

Prior to UCCE, Richard was employed for nine years in private industry as a licensed 'pest control adviser' for a private weed control firm in Kern and Orange Counties;  was a community college agriculture instructor for six years; and a US Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras for two years, and a alfalfa research assistant.  This has been his "Dream Job" for the last 27 years.

  1. UCCE                                  1986- present
  2. Abate-A-Weed Inc.               1980-1986
  3. Bakersfield Community College 1974-1980
  4. Leffingwell Chemical Co.         1972-1974
  5. U.S. Peace Corps                  1971-1972
  6. Cal Poly Crops Unit/Student store   1968-1971
  7. Waterman-Loomis Alfalfa        1966-1968

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