.......... Deerwood Soil and Water Management Association  

The Deerwood Soil and Water Management Association (DSWMA) is a group of 150 local landowners who are committed to the goals of:  

  • Continued support of "on-farm" soil and water conservation demonstrations
  • Improving the economic sustainability of the local farm community
  • Improving our collective understanding of agriculture's impact on the envirnment
  • Providing communication and extension activities based on sound, valid information: to rural and urban communities and school educational programs
  • Enhancing wildlife habitat and general esthetics through our conservation activities
Deerwood was formally established in 1984 and in 1989 became one of 44 Local Organizations of Manitoba producers to control and coordinate local conservation program delivery. Deerwood's members farm within an 875 square kilometre area (342 square miles) along the Manitoba Escarpment in South-central Manitoba.  

The Deerwood group has shown leadership by integrating conservation activities into individual farm managemant plans and by addressing soil and water management problems where they originate. Deerwood's activities focus on the promotion, demonstration, and adoption of conservation measures including:  

  • Zero and minimum tillage
  • Rotational grazing
  • Alternative stockwatering methods
  • Small dam construction/watershed management Gully stabilization
  • Grassed waterways
  • Capping abandoned wells
  • Shelterbelt planting and maintenance
  • Soil nutrient management Forages on sensitive lands
  • Wildlife habitat enhancement

    • School conservation awareness education programs. 


    Below is a zero-till drill seeding the crop to reduce soil erosion.
    A zero-till drill at work.

    The crop below is emerging from the soil through the existing ground cover (right), and without the protective cover of last year's stubble (left). 
    The emerging crop.

    Gabion baskets: These wire frames are filled with rocks tin order to control water flow
    within small gullies. 
    Gully Stabilization.

    Rotational grazing: The water collected by a small dam is protected from manure contamination as cattle (in background) are fenced out. Water is pumped to a cattle watering station using a windmill.     
    Rotational Grazing.
     
     
    Other DSWMA achievements:  
    • Installation of a network of 50 small dams to control downstream erosion and flooding.  
    • Twenty-six headwater retention structures now control water flows across 30% of the 18,000 acre watershed, resulting in a 25% reduction in overall peak flows. Localized, high intensity runoff has been reduced by as much as 90% by individual dams.
    • Leading-edge water quality monitoring and experimentation. Several major partnership projects exist with external groups such as the University of Manitoba, PFRA, Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and NASA Center for Earth Observation Science.
    • Conference recognition at major international events: EPA (Chicago); Agriculture Canada (Alberta); and the World Meteorological Organization/World Health Organization (Brazil).
    • Implementation and delivery of an innovative high school education project for watershed management.
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