Iowa PBS Presents Tractor Wars II

Focusing on the era from 1929 through 1959, Tractor Wars II, the next installment in Iowa PBS’s Tractor Wars series, premieres Monday, March 2 at 7 p.m. It will also be available to stream on iowapbs.org, YouTube and the PBS App. 

Picking up where the first documentary ended, Tractor Wars II examines how the tractor industry changed focus. Rather than pioneering the idea of bringing power farming to agriculture, companies started working toward making mechanized farming part of everyday life in rural America. Tractor makers fought for market supremacy as each company improved on the basic design. 

Manufacturers struggled to survive the economic downturn of the Great Depression in the 1930s only to retool to support the war effort during World War II. By the time the 1950s rolled around, the leaders of all of the major tractor manufacturers were looking at how their designs fit into the equation of power and affordability.

“The move from animal power to tractors was driven by both efficiency and economics,” said Iowa PBS Producer and Director Peter Tubbs. “A farmer who wanted to increase his acres needed to buy a tractor.”

Low grain prices during the Depression encouraged farmers to keep working horses. Post-war farm consolidation increased as farmers moved to bigger tractors to work more acres. The horsepower race was on!

This documentary will premiere as part of Festival, Iowa PBS’s annual pledge drive, taking place February 28–March 15.