I grew up in west central Ks in the 1960s. Never saw a plow in use, but there were a few laying around in old farmsteads. In that area in the 50s and 60s farmers use a device called a “one way.” It was a gang of discs, 20” or so in dia, pulled at an angle. It produced results similar to a plow.
In the late 60s most farmers in that area converted to implements that skimmed along under the soil surface about 4”, cutting off weed roots and loosening the soil a bit. This reduced moisture evaporation a lot, which is almost alway very important there.
