Illinois Extension educator retires with decades of service

For 45 years, Illinois homeowners, Master Gardeners, industry professionals and professional growers have relied on the knowledge and skills of horticulture expert Richard Hentschel, who is retiring from University of Illinois Extension April 29.

For nearly 30 of those years, Hentschel has served as a horticulture specialist and educator, lending his expertise in food production, lawn care, fruit trees, pest management, woody ornamentals and school and community gardening. Although mainly based in northern Illinois, Hentschel has helped train hundreds of Master Gardener volunteers around the state.

“Richard’s wealth of experience and wide spectrum of knowledge will be missed not only here in our counties, but all around the state,” County Director Deanna Roby-Vorgias, serving DuPage, Kane, and Kendall counties, said in a news release. “His informative yet approachable manner made him popular with Chicagoland and statewide media as well as with residents and colleagues who followed him online.”

Hentschel’s well-liked blog, column, podcast and video series made seasonal guidance and practical tips readily available and accessible to Illinois residents since 2011. In the early 2000s, he helped develop a large catalog of online videos with former Extension Educator Greg Stack, making the duo some of the first horticulturalists to embrace this educational format.

A University of Illinois alumnus, Hentschel holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in horticulture. In 1980, he started with Illinois Extension in Rock Island County before moving to Kane County through 1990. He also worked as executive vice president of Pickle Packers International before resuming with Illinois Extension in 2005, first in Cook County and then DuPage, Kane and Kendall counties. Hentschel also served as president of the Illinois Extension Agricultural Association and as an Illinois Farm Bureau advisory board member.

“Extension allowed me to grow professionally and personally throughout my career,” Hentschel said in the news release. “I am grateful to have had the opportunity to share quality, research-based information from land grant universities to our communities. It has been a joy to work with amazing people and help residents address challenges and grow their knowledge.”