The entry of the United States into World War II augmented the necessity of utilizing agriculture's resources to the fullest extent in meeting increased food demands with reduced supplies of labor. One of the principal means of expanding production under such conditions is by fuller use of available farm machinery. Unfortunately, however, when a state of national emergency was declared in May, 1941, little was known either about the utilization of Iowa farm machinery or about the numbers of various types of machines available on the farms.

To provide the needed information a survey was conducted in August and September of 1941 with the cooperation of the Work Projects Administration and the Agricultural Marketing Service. Information was collected in August from 2,911 farms regarding corn planters, grain binders, grain drills, double disks, single disks, hay loaders, manure spreaders, mowers, plows, rakes, rollers, seeders, spike harrows and spring tooth harrows. The September survey obtained information from 3,012 farms on. cornpickers, combines, ensilage cutters, grain elevators, corn shellers, feed grinders, milking machines, tractors, trucks, trailers and wagons² (table 1).