Tilva allows users to ask questions or upload images for immediate support. Image recognition helps identify pests, diseases and plants, while users also can upload soil test results from Penn State’s Agricultural Analytical Services Laboratory for interpretation. Designed primarily for production agriculture — including farmers, agribusiness professionals, and crop and livestock specialists — the tool also serves businesses, educators, policymakers, homeowners and gardeners.
Tilva does more than just answer questions. It recommends relevant Extension workshops, online courses and certificate programs based on user interests. It connects users to validated data sources, including state agencies, such as the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and national market data sources. Answers are available in both English and Spanish.
By handling routine inquiries and directing users to existing resources, Tilva expands Extension’s capacity, noted Jeffrey Hyde, director of Penn State Extension and associate dean in the College of Agricultural Sciences.
“It also links users to our experts — extension professionals who stand ready to answer more detailed or nuanced questions,” he said.
Hyde explained that Tilva helps users quickly assess the essential elements of their problem or question and allows extension professionals to focus their efforts on the crucial human-to-human interactions needed to solve complex problems.
“In 2017, our enhanced website provided a one-stop-shop for Extension content and events,” he said. “This tool builds on that foundation, drawing from those same resources to provide answers to customer questions, while directing the user to those specific resources when needed.”
Hyde noted that Tilva is built on decades of science-based Extension expertise and Penn State’s AI platform, PlantVillage. Developed under the leadership of David Hughes, the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Global Food Security in the college, PlantVillage began as a mobile tool to help farmers diagnose crop problems and has grown into a global agricultural AI platform. PlantVillage helped the United Nations in 65 countries and 35 languages and now helps countries like Malawi get the type of Extension knowledge developed at land grants like Penn State.
Before its public launch, Tilva was tested internally for about six months with Penn State’s 29 Extension program teams, members of the Penn State Ag Council, an industry advisory group administered by the college, and the Dean’s Leadership Council, a team supporting the college’s mission across teaching, research and extension. Their feedback helped refine responses and ensure accuracy. To date it has answered thousands of questions with users saying they like the new tool.
One such consultant was Andy Bater, a fourth-generation farmer, digital engineer and frequent speaker on the intersection of AI and agriculture.
Bater is a member of the Dean’s Leadership Council, a member of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau State Board and a former chair of the American Farm Bureau’s Technology Issues Advisory Committee. Bater previously spent 16 years cultivating switchgrass for biofuel research and mulch production. He now focuses on pollinator habitat and forest conservation.
“This AI tool is a cornerstone for the future of agriculture,” Bater said. “Designed specifically for industry professionals, it delivers precise answers without the clutter of a general web search. Furthermore, it provides the essential underpinnings for future agentic AI systems, allowing autonomous tools to validate their decisions against trusted Penn State research before taking action on the farm.”
Justin Clapper, assistant director of development and sponsorship for the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and a member of the Penn State Ag Council, also tested the tool, asking it various agricultural questions across many commodities and disciplines,
“I was surprised by how knowledgeable the system is,” he said. “It provided accurate results, resources for me to research and learn further, and the contact information of local extension staff for further help. I would absolutely recommend this new tool to others as a great resource to start your search for information.”
What sets Tilva apart from similar platforms is its focus on Pennsylvania-specific content and extension resources, Hyde said.
“Unlike traditional web searches that can be biased and include unverified and outdated sources, Tilva’s responses preferentially pull from available trusted materials to provide more complete, detailed and Pennsylvania-specific responses,” Hyde said. “We have built in a process of continuous monitoring and updating to provide essential quality control and the best content for our customers.”
Hughes added: “When farmers are Googling, they may get some blog written 10 years ago that’s not fact-checked or scientific. We want to avoid the spread of misinformation.”
Behind each response is human expertise. That oversight comes from Penn State Extension’s more than 260 educators across 67 counties.
Hughes cited Scott Weikert, forest resources extension educator, as an example. With decades of experience in forestry, industry and Extension, Weikert brings context and judgment AI alone cannot replicate.
“If someone like Scott can look at an AI response and explain, in a nuanced way, why it’s correct or incorrect, that’s golden,” Hughes said.
That level of scrutiny is shaping how the tool is being introduced. The rollout, Hughes said, will be measured.
“We’re going to proceed carefully,” he said. “Where we feel confident, the AI can answer. Where we don’t, we stop it.”
High-risk topics, such as pesticide use, food preservation and animal medication, trigger safeguards that direct users to county extension educators and other relevant professionals such as Penn State professors, veterinarians and regulatory officials. The goal is to extend educators’ reach while keeping expert oversight firmly in place. Tilva serves as a first touch, working 24/7, while educators focus on complex questions and developing new resources.
Dean Troy Ott applauded the diligent and stakeholder-focused approach taken to develop and refine Tilva. He emphasized that it is focused on ensuring the quality and relevance of information provided to stakeholders.
“With Tilva, our north star from the beginning is to preserve the more than 100-year trust relationship between citizens of the commonwealth and Penn State Extension,” Ott said.
Hyde said future development will focus on added value. Localized soil and weather data already enhance responses, and additional personalization may follow.
Looking ahead, extension leaders emphasized that Tilva is new and will continue to improve over time, especially because it is constructed in a way that allows users to provide feedback on the quality of responses. This feedback will be monitored and deficiencies corrected, so that Tilva grows smarter over time by partnering with Extension professionals. In addition to answers in Spanish, future versions will expand the language abilities of the tool.
For Hughes, the vision is for the long-term. As climate, disease, economic and market challenges make food production more difficult, he noted that land-grant universities must deliver trusted knowledge in real time.
“When you combine people-centered, science-based information with AI solutions, I think Tilva has a bright future,” he said.
Contributing to the project are PlantVillage AI engineers, Derek Morr and Pete McCloskey, and entomologist Bipana Paudel Timilsena, assistant research professor of entomology in the College of Agricultural Sciences.