The Carol Hodne papers date from 1921 to 2005 and measure 18 linear inches. The papers are arranged in six series: Biographical, Women's Community Health Center, US Farmers Association, North American Farm Alliance, Farm Organizing, and Farm Health and Safety.

The Biographical series includes notes from an oral history conducted with Hodne in 2001 as part of the IWA Rural Women's Project. Most of the information in this series pertains to Hodne's professional life. The Women's Community Health Center series (1974-1990) includes information about the precursor to the Women's Community Health Center (WCHC), the Feminist Women's Health Center, in Ames, Iowa, in addition to the minutes, notes, and newsletters of the WCHC. Articles and pamphlets about feminist health care complete the series.

The bulk of the collection pertains to farm organizing and activism. The US Farmers Association series (1953-1984) includes planning notes, convention bulletins, and booklets published by the organization. The North American Farm Alliance series (1979-1991) includes a copy of The Scarlet Letter, a newsletter for farm women activists. It also includes materials pertaining to the mission of the organization, along with newsletters and publications about the farm crisis.

The Farm Organizing series (1921-1999) includes pamphlets, newsletters, and minutes of several farm organizations. It contains photographs and audio recordings of speeches delivered at the United Farmer and Rancher Congress, held in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1986, at the height of the farm crisis; prominent farm activists from around the world delivered speeches at the Congress. This series also includes film footage for the Iowa Public Television documentary, Heroes. Most of the videocassette cases list the contents of the tape. Several tapes feature Rev. Jesse Jackson, who visited Iowa during the farm crisis of the 1980s. One videocassette (V490) includes television news accounts about the arrests of Iowa women farmers and Catholic priest Father Frank Cordaro because of their protests during farm foreclosures. All of the Heroes' videocassettes are U-Matic Sony KCS-20BRK formatted. Newspaper clippings that pertain to the farm crisis in Iowa complete this series.

The Farm Health and Safety series (1999-2005) includes scholarly publications about the health and environmental impact of large animal confinement operations. Hodne participated as a researcher and author or co-author of most of these publications.