Steve Ayers serves as the unit educator in farm business management and marketing for the University of Illinois Champaign County. Steve works with local farmers, agri-business, and Champaign County residents on financial, grain marketing, business management, and estate planning issues. He facilitates the use of the College Agricultural and Consumer Economics Farmdoc web site and the valuable risk management tools available there.

Steve received both a bachelors degree in agriculture and masters degree in Extension education from the University of Illinois. He served as a weapons officer in the U.S. Navy after being commissioned from the NROTC unit at the University of Illinois.

Steve joined the Champaign County Extension unit in February, 2003. He has over 30 years experience as a fourth generation no-till corn and soybean farmer in neighboring Piatt County. He was active on the Extension council, Ag Leaders of Tomorrow, and Illinois Ag Leadership Foundation. Steve is active in the community with Rotary, Lions, and Crisis Nursery.

Steve is a regular contributor in the Champaign News-Gazette with the Extension Connnection and Crop, Stock, & Ledger columns. He serves as Champaign County Cropwatcher in the weekly Illinois Farm Bureau Farmweek publication. He is also a guest columnist for Illinois Agri-News and a monthly contributor for WITY radio. He appears every Friday live at 5:45 a.m. with the "Ag Answers" segment on the Channel 3 Morning Show.

U of I Extension colleague Sandy Mason and Steve appear on the locally produced "Illini Farm and Garden" thirty minute show on CBS affiliate WCIA. The show profiles horticulture and agriculture throughout east central Illinios and west central Indiana. Each show also has segments of Champaign County farmer John Reifsteck's corn and soybean crops, Darrel Good's Market Report, and Jim Angel's Weather Report. The show debuted Sunday, April 8, 2007 and runs every other Sunday at 7 a.m. Please tune in!

Steve's professional affiliations include the Illinois Extension Agents Association and Epsilon Sigma Phi.