Click here to watch me get kicked in the nuts.

Ok... disclaimer.  You don't get to watch me  literally get kicked in the nuts.

No, this article is about how I got metaphorically kicked in the nuts today, how I totally deserved it, and what it means for the future of Dynamite Ag's social media.

So I was mowing my yard yesterday when a notification popped up on my cell phone that someone had commented on my Dynamite Ag Facebook Page.

When I popped the app open, here's the message that greeted me:

So as I'm reading this comment, I have to confess that my immediate reaction was, "Well then the joke's on you, dude, because this IS a marketing page!" 

Now, I don't know about you, but I can have a bit of a temper, and since I'm aware of that, it's something that I'm working on.  So rather than just firing off my snarktastic remark, I instead thought of a polite way to be snarky:


See what I did there?  

Now, to be fair, what I said is technically true.  My Dynamite Ag Facebook page is a business page.  And I do strive to supply you guys with good agronomy info, for free (just so you know, I have been toying with the idea of having some paid content, mostly for fellow Certified Crop Advisers to be able to get Continuing Education credits, because we need so many CEUs and so much of the content that's out there is either boring... or worse than boring). And finally, I do have to make a living. 

BUT...

Eric wasn't wrong.  

Ok, in my defense it hasn't really been 6 weeks.  I actually went back and checked.  In the past two weeks about 55% of my posts on my FB page have been pretty salesy if I'm being honest with you and with myself.  And don't get me wrong-- I don't think there's anything wrong with sales, and I absolutely 100% believe in the 360 Yield Center Products and in the AgroVantage products that we sell.  They're good products and you should totally check them out, and if we can help you out and make a sale in the process, I'm all about that.  The issue, however, is that I want to make sure you guys know that that's not all that I'm about.

First and foremost, my goal is to provide you good agronomy info -- the best, in fact.  

So where does all of this leave us?  Let's go back to see how Eric responded:


Here's where it leaves us...

I'm going to ask that, like Eric, you call me out on my crap.  Feel free to vent when I cross over that threshold into too much sales. Obviously, please remember that I really do have to make a living, but keep me on track and make sure I'm still pumping out good info.

With that said, I'll give one final disclaimer: Remember that I am relentless in my pursuit of excellence and that consequently I will push the boundaries and I will push you outside your comfort zone.  Understand that you may not like everything I have to say. 


And if you try to come at me with this kind of stuff: 
Or worse yet... if you play the "Nuhuh! A university professor said that doesn't work..." card, then please know that I will politely, but firmly, put you in your place.  I believe very strongly in a quotation that I've seen attributed both to George Bernard Shaw and to "an ancient Chinese proverb" that goes like this:

"The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person who is doing it."  

I work with some of the best producers in the world and what these guys have taught is frequently outside the box and doesn't necessarily have a ton of "university data" to back it up.  Some of it does, but certainly not all of it.  And you've probably noticed that sometimes the articles I post are actually university research, but they may be on the fringes of what is widely accepted as truth. Like this one, for example, that I've linked to before, but you should all read again.

The point is that we should all strive to get better.  Sometimes that means reading and then trying something that may give your neighbors something to talk about.

Sometimes it means calling me out that I need to refocus on the science and a little less on the sales.

If you have agronomy questions or would like to try out some of my hair-brained ideas, or if you would like to know more about the products we promote, please feel to check out www.DynamiteAg.com and/or give me a call: 641-919-5574.

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