GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A longtime agricultural reporter and voice heard on WTAQ is being honored for a lifetime of excellence.
Green Bay resident and WTAQ Ag Reporter Mike Austin is hanging up the mic as he’ll be wrapping up all his reporting activities in early 2019.
Adding to a lifetime of achievement was his induction into the Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
“There is no one more deserving of this award, and I am honored to have been there to nominate and recognize him for his continued support of the 4-H program, and specifically the Brown County 4-H program,” says Melinda Pollen, Brown County 4-H Youth Development Educator. “He is a steady and consistent, positive media force for our youth and program, and we are delighted to share in this award for him.”
Austin says he’s honored by the recognition, but he can’t take the credit.
“It’s the stories and the people behind those stories that really deserve the honor,” says Austin. “I get recognized because I’m kind of the face and voice in front of it.”
For him, he takes pride in hopefully being able to make a positive impact on people he encounters.
“It’s good to know that you made a little bit of an impact on people and that the stories you were sharing made a difference,” he explains.
Ironically for someone now in the hall of fame, Austin was not a 4-H member growing up.
Nonetheless, he has long supported the values that the organization represents.
“Responsibility, communication, service, community, the willingness to think outside of the box,” says Austin.
He says the importance placed on those values has produced many outstanding men and women in a variety of fields.
“You knew that this was an organization that not only benefited agriculture, but our general communities and economies, because of the type of young people that develop through the program,” he explains.
Throughout his career, Austin spent time volunteering to lead workshops that prepare 4-H youth to work and talk with media. He also would focus interviews during county fair season on life skills, not the ribbon, to highlight youth and adult partnerships and educate the public.
