Innovation In Action: Technology is changing the way OSU Extension information is shared

Innovation In Action: Technology is changing the way OSU Extension information is shared

Friday, December 19, 2025

Media Contact: Sophia Fahleson | Digital Communications Specialist | 405-744-7063 | [email protected]

Innovation and technology go hand-in-hand within agriculture. From an app all about plants, to an agronomy podcast, to a wheat text group, OSU Extension is using innovative technology to translate scientific information and make it more accessible for producers and the public.

The Plant-IT OK app helps Oklahomans choose the right plants for their landscape, said Justin Moss, OSU horticulture and landscape architecture department head and professor who developed the Plant-IT OK app.

"The goal of the app is to help people find the right plant for the right place," he said. "People want to be successful in their gardening efforts. That is what we are trying to accomplish."

The Plant-IT OK app takes information from Extension fact sheets, condenses it, and adds pictures to help Oklahomans choose plants to best fit their planting needs, he said.

Different filters assist in making the user experience simpler, such as the USDA hardiness zone, light exposure, water, plant type, season, flower color, wildlife and whether the plant is native or non-native, Moss said.

"We wanted people to have the information directly in their hands and for it to be accessible and easy to use," Moss said.

The app is still in its early stages, and new technology opens a range of possibilities, Moss added.

"I would like to see a scanning-type feature that would populate results for the user," Moss said. "Geographic variation and heartiness zones are other filters I would like to see implemented as well."

Moss and his team continually update the app with new pictures and information to make it as useful and impactful as possible, he said.

"In five years, I would like to see our list of plants become fully populated," Moss said. "I am looking at this app going to the next level and having a broader impact."

Broader impact is also what the Red Dirt Agronomy podcast is looking to accomplish, while maintaining a fun environment, said Brian Arnall, OSU plant and soil sciences professor.

Arnall and Josh Lofton, OSU plant and soil sciences associate professors, as well as Dave Deken, Oklahoma farmer and AgNow Media owner, collaborate in the form of a podcast focused on agronomy.

"It has always been the doctors and Dave," Deken said. "When they get into the specifics about topics, I can simplify it for people."

The podcast explores a broad array of topics related to plant and soil sciences and agronomy, as well as general agricultural topics, Arnall said.

The podcast has different guests with expertise in the topics related to the show, which helps provide information and different points of view, Deken said.

"One of the things we wanted to do with this podcast was to get information already available to people, like fact sheets or project data, to them in a simpler form," he said. "We really want the podcast to be a more long-term and outreaching avenue to get information out to the public."

The podcast is a different form of technology being used to help get information out to growers and producers who are located all across Oklahoma, Lofton said.

The podcast aims to be an outlet delivering information in an accessible way to everyone. This keeps producers educated without taking them away from their farms, Lofton added.

"This is a new way of reaching people in a new age of technology," Lofton said. "A lot of our Extension clientele are leaning heavily on a lot of these new technologies."

Extension provides information and data for producers, and the Red Dirt Agronomy podcast aims to help put all the information into action by hosting experts with experience in the field on the show, Lofton said.

The OSU Wheat Text Group is an additional way producers can get information, both simplified and promptly, said Amanda de Oliveira Silva, OSU plant and soil sciences professor who developed the OSU Wheat Text Group.

A conversation with a farmer sparked the idea of text messages being an efficient way to get information quickly to producers, Silva said. Updates include alerts about fact sheets and harvest data, as well as timely recommendations for producers to access.

"The text group is a two-way conversation," Silva said. "Not only do I text, but they can respond with other questions or even field observations."

The OSU Wheat Text Group is accessible to producers in rural areas, possibly those who do not have reliable internet access, because it is sent directly to their phone, she said.

"Nowadays, everybody has a phone, and everyone is receiving texts, whereas some people may not have social media to see updates that get posted," Silva said.

The text group is not exclusive to growers in Oklahoma, Silva added. There are people enrolled from other states who receive the updates as well.

"By being able to get disease management updates out quicker, we can help producers save money," Silva said.

Even through a text group, this is still a person-to-person interaction, which seems to resonate well with producers, she said.

"The OSU Wheat Text Group is more informal. Our producers feel like they can just send a picture or questions directly," Silva said. "People like to feel like they are talking directly to someone else."

The information being exchanged back and forth about wheat is useful to both the producer and Extension specialist, Silva said.

"It is so simple," Silva said. "The solution was right in front of us, and we could have missed it."

Plant-It OK App

The Plant-It OK App helps you choose plants based on water, light, soil, size, color and more. Learn more and download from the App Store or Google Play.

Red Dirt Agronomy

The Red Dirt Agronomy Podcast covers the latest in plant and soil science with expert guests every two weeks. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music.

Wheat Extension

Text WHEAT to 855-452-0489 for updates on harvest results,disease alerts and more. Message and data rates may apply. Learn more and stay in the know about wheat.

Story by: Hailie Brake | Cowboy Journal