Mike and Shirley McElvain are the Master Shepherds of the farm. They have been married for 35 years and residents of Heyworth since 1978. Together, they run the sheep operation in Heyworth and McElvain Law Office in Bloomington, IL. They have two daughters, Mary and Sarah. Mary is an admissions counselor for The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Sarah is in graduate school at The University of Texas at Austin pursuing a Master of Science in Social Work.

Both girls were active in McLean County 4-H and traveled to various livestock shows exhibiting McElvain sheep. A monumental event for the family was receiving the honor of Grand Champion Ewe of the McLean County Fair in 1995 with Mary's yearling ewe. Other awards include the a First Place lamb at the State Fair of Texas in 2002, a Reserve Grand Champion Southdown Ewe at the Illinois State Fair, and *others.*

Mike and Shirley are very active in the sheep industry. Mike has served on the Executive Board for the American Southdown Breeders' Association, has been the President of the Illinois Southdown Breeders' Association, and is now involved in judging sheep shows at county and local fairs, including the Fairbury Fair and the Illinois State Fair.