Today it doesn't take as many people to work on farms as it once did. In the 1830s, 40s and 50s when pioneers first settled Iowa's rich prairie lands, most farms were just 80 acres. That was as much land as most pioneer farmers could take care of. By 1900 many Iowa farms were larger than 80 acres, and most farming was done with simple machines and horses.

In the early 20th century, farms were more diverse than today. Most farmers raised lots of Woman in chicken yarddifferent crops and cared for many varied animals. Farmers planted corn, oats, wheat and barley, and raised cattle and hogs. Women planted large gardens of potatoes, carrots, lettuce, pumpkins, beans and radishes. They also cared for chickens and sold eggs.

Throughout the 20th century, as machinery developed, farms began to grow bigger. As they got bigger, they also tended to become less diverse. Many Iowa farmers raised just corn and soybeans. Others raised hogs or cattle with some field crops.

As farms grew larger, many farmers moved off the farms their grandparents once occupied. Today, the Iowa countryside is dotted with abandoned farm buildings that once held crops and provided shelter for animals. Where farmhouses once stood, the land is now cultivated for crops.