Elmo Meiners grew up on the family farm in Illinois where he and his family still farm today. In the late 1940's, Mr. Meiners teamed up with a local implement dealer and inventor, Art Warsaw, to build and sell a kit to convert IH "M" transmissions to 9 speeds. Together they formed the M & W Gear Company. Later Mr. Warsaw left the organization and Mr. Meiners expanded M & W by adding tractor power products to the line.

In 1955 the first M & W Field Days show was held to promote not only M & W products but also those produced by other companies. Gradually the annual fall show grew to be the largest agricultural show in the nation. Part of the success of the shows can be traced to the tractor pulls sponsored by M & W.

The 19th, and last M & W Farm Power Show was held at the Meiners farm near Anchor in September, 1973. The fuel crisis and the enormous expense of producing a show of this size had put an end to the famous show. The tractor pull itself had grown to be a tremendous success with many professional pullers and modified monsters drawing record breaking crowds.

Elmo Meiners is now the Chairman of the Board of M & W and is still very active in the invention and development of new products. The tractor parts line has been joined by a line of tillage and harvesting products, many the direct result of efforts to solve the same energy crisis that put an end to the M & W Farm Power Show.