Austin Hoffman

I'm a South Dakotan through and through. I remember sitting up at night with my parents watching KELOLAND News and saying, "That's what I want to do someday."

I grew up on a cattle ranch in north-central South Dakota.  My family has been on the same piece of land since the early 1900s. The house I grew up in is a short walk away from the original home that my great-grandfather grew up in. Some of my earliest memories are walking through the shelterbelt to grandpa's house to spend the afternoon seeing what I could get away with, which usually consisted of jumping on old Ed's back and messing up his slicked, parted white hair.

I feel privileged to have grown up in South Dakota, roaming the great outdoors with my father, Charlie, learning the ins and outs of hunting, fishing, cattle and cutting hay. My mother, Holly, was also my swim coach, a great mentor and always has the rights words for any situation, even if I don't want to hear them.

I graduated from Eureka Public High School in 2004, attended South Dakota State University for a semester and transferred to Concordia University in St. Paul, where I ran track for two years. I then returned to SDSU and graduated with a Broadcast Journalism degree in 2010. My college summers consisted of working on the family ranch until I had the opportunity to work on a charter fishing boat in Kodiak, Alaska, which I did for the last three summers of college.

I started at KELOLAND News as a production assistant, went on to complete my internship in the newsroom and with a stroke of luck, I got the job that I longed for as a child.

My first full-time position was the Rapid City bureau reporter.  After around a year and half on the west side of the state, I came back east. I now wake up with KELOLAND as a morning reporter.

I love my job. I truly can't believe I get paid to do this. As a reporter, I get to meet countless people with great stories and share them with you.

Outside of work, I love to fish, hunt and trying to convince my wife, Megan, to spend a night or two in a tent.

If you ever have a story idea or even a few words of wisdom, drop me an e-mail.

Email Austin

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