953 nut 55,166 #1 Posted February 16 Soil erosion control is nothing new. In response to the extreme soil drifting in Western Canada, Charles Noble develops a system to shear stubble and weeds below the ground and leave the residue on top of the soil to reduce evaporation and prevent erosion. Patented in 1937, more than 10,000 will be used around the globe by 1979 Amid the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, soil health and regenerative agriculture practices were not commonplace. Soil drifted in "black blizzards," massive clouds of airborne soil that could travel hundreds of miles. Strip farming and planting crops in alternating strips were how farmers combated erosion at the time. But strips could eventually become useless, depending on the direction of the wind. Farmers also used tillage to control weeds at the time, contributing to soil disturbance. Since the dry year of 1919, Noble had been interested in soil erosion. In an effort to get Noble away from some of the troubles of the Great Depression, his friends and family convinced him to take a trip to California. It was there that he saw a beet farmer using a straight-blade tool to cut into the soil and loosen the beets. The blade got to the weeds without interrupting the crops and soil. Noble ended up returning from California early with the idea for the first Noble blade. The Noble Blade was an underground 8-foot-wide straight blade with two vertical standards designed to leave trash above ground while cutting weeds at the roots to terminate them. A decent blacksmith, Noble used an old grader blade with a borrowed forger and anvil. He reshaped the blade and fixed it with two stout arms and a frame. He gave it 2 wheels and a means of depth control. The initial design wasn't perfect, but it was functional. 10 1 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
