To those unaccustomed to the Canadian prairie provinces they may appear as a uniform, flat and unchanging landscape where wheat has for a century and will forever remain king. A closer examination will reveal native grasslands abundant with natural diversity, rolling hills, wooded uplands, poplar buffs, and vast parkland regions. Ephemeral streams, large post glacial river valleys with streams fed by mountain runoff, natural and man made lakes and sloughs attract much of the migratory bird population in North America. The ecosystems of the prairie provinces range from Mixed Grassland to Taiga Shield and the soil type and texture are complex. Agriculture, which consumes about 102,000,000 acres, remains a cornerstone of the Prairie rural economy. Much like the diverse natural landscape, agriculture itself has been changing and the Prairie region has become a major producer of oilseeds, pulse crops, a wide variety of specialty crops, such as potatoes and echinacea; and livestock ranging from elk and bison to cattle and pigs to ostriches and emu.

The climate in the present agricultural producing area is described in the simplest of terms as cold temperate and semi-arid to sub humid. Cold temperatures and low moisture often control many aspects of life on the Prairies. Wehat is remarkable and challenging is the spatial and temporal variability of our weather and climate. Farmers can be facing record drought in one region and record wet in another. Freezing temperatures can occur one day and warm growing season temperatures the next. Local convective showers that provide vital moisture during the summer cause large variations in precipitation from location to location even within a field. Dry lands yielding only a few bushels per acre on the upslopes and viable yields in low lying areas can find low lying areas flooded by several inches of rain over a few hours, eliminating any hope of harvest. While fields in southern regions may be seeding in late April, fields in the Peace River region may be waiting for the snow to melt so that last year's crop can be harvested. An early year may bring farmers out in the field in March only to be stricken by frost in June.

The 1990s was as variable as the previous decade but generally provided warm and moist growing season conditions and good yields. The beginning of the 21st century has brought a variety of climate conditions including a return to drought in some areas thus far.

Cycles, periodicities and possible trends offer a range of opportunities for agriculture if we have the knowledge to adapt. Critical to this knowledge is a climate monitoring network that offers access to real and near real time data, early warning, and a diversity of information products to aid land and water managers in decision making. This paper will describe the highlights of data needs and information products of the past, present, and future on the Canadian Prairies. Data collection and information systems are being automated through use of geographic information systems and internet tools.