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SHOW NOTES We all have a voice inside of us that is telling us what our vocation should be.  Sometimes it may not make sense, and sometimes it will.  And, this voice is free to change its mind over the course of your lifetime.  The hard part for us humans is listening to and trusting this voice. Today's interview features a gentleman who did just that, and now he has a business that fulfills him every day and allows him to work with his father ever day.  Kevin Pontel followed the normal course that so many of us, including me, have followed.  He worked during high school, continued his education after high school and then got a good job with good benefits. After working 8 years as a prison guard, Kevin realized that this career was not a match for him.  He also felt the tugs, or that inside voice, pulling him back to his rural upbringing and the agricultural area of his youth.  Kevin had always enjoyed painting and restoring tractors, even though he was not professionally trained to do this.  He heard that inner voice telling him that this was what he should be doing, so he started assessing the marketplace. Kevin ultimately concluded that there was a demand for this service that was not being met, and he decided to give it a try.  At that point he started putting together the pieces that he needed to start a business restoring older tractors.  Soon, he had found a way to get shop space and he had procured the equipment needed for the business. Kevin started with some friends and neighbor's tractors, and word of this quality of his work and the availability of this service began to spread.  Today, Kevin has added his father to his crew of 2.  His father does all the mechanical work on the tractors, and Kevin takes care of their looks.  His business is based in Wisconsin, and he is currently working on a tractor that will travel all the way to Texas when he is done. If you wonder why your inner voice would pull you towards a business like this and how it serves humanity, that would be a natural question.  Kevin stated that most of the tractors that he restores are headed to people's garages or shops in subdivisions or very small acreages to be show pieces and family legacies. Today we know that fewer people than ever are working in production agriculture.  However, many people working professional jobs in cities grew up on farms or in rural communities.  We need advocates for agriculture and we need something to start these conversations so folks with no agricultural experience can learn about what we really do in agriculture.  I would bet that all of the tractors that Kevin has restored and sent off to subdivisions in cities like Chicago have started quite a few conversations and allowed people who grew up on farms to share their story and advocate for agriculture. HOW TO CONTACT KEVIN: Instagram: LINK Facebook: LINK Website: LINK Where Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald Can Be Heard:   Member Of The National Association Of Farm Broadcasters