The Linn County Farm Bureau and the Linn County Soil and Water Conservation District hosted a tour of four area farms recently. It was designed to explain modern farming and conservation practices, according to Tim Keegan, a Linn County Farm Bureau member and farmer.

"The purpose of this tour is to get some of the public who aren’t familiar with agriculture ... to see some of the practices that we’re doing," Keegan said.

While some of the conservation projects utilized cost-share or grant money, farmers are also investing their own money to implement conservation practices.

"We want them to be aware of some of the things that we’re doing without the funding. It’s voluntary. We’re already trying to do the best we can to take care of the environment and the ground that we farm," Keegan said.

Allan Mallie, a Linn County Farm Bureau member, raises corn, soybeans and...