An Acknowledgment of Local Responsibility  

     The Deerwood Association (DSWMA) is one active group of agricultural landowners who care a great deal about their impact on the environment.  Like many farmers, the individual members of Deerwood have struggled to clearly understand the environmental impacts of high yield agricultural production.  
  
     The Deerwood region is typical of the South-Central agricultural landscape of Manitoba, where a variety of grains, oilseeds, forages, and specialty crops are grown.  In most cases, pesticide spraying occurs in the late spring after seeding, although some crops call for fall application  
  

Crops Grown in 1993 (South Tobacco Creek Watershed)

Crop	Acres Grown	% of Cultivated Land	Crop	Acres Grown	% of Cultivated Land
Wheat	6316	47.3	Canola	2267	17.0
Barley	722	5.4	Flax	984	7.4
Oats	593	4.4	Alfalfa	563	4.2
Forage	463	3.5	Buckwheat	335	2.5
Pasture	333	2.5	Field Peas	310	2.3
Fallow	280	2.1	Green feed Oats	85	0.6
No Data	114	0.8

     Several years ago, the individual members of the Deerwood Association decided to be pro-active and accountable in their operations.  Instead of avoiding potential problems and attempting to hide from public concern over pesticide use, progressive landowners in Deerwood wanted to know what their true impacts were, to address them responsibly with long-term solutions.   

     As part of the South Tobacco Creek Project, a partnership with several other organizations (STC), Deerwood members are now participating in a truly unique project to monitor their collective impact associated with the application and migration of agricultural pesticides.  Local governments and the Canadian National Railway are also participating.  The South Tobacco Creek Project is part of a major research initiative monitoring water quality from farm fields on the Manitoba Escarpment to Lake Winnipeg.