Soft red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is perhaps the only crop grown in the southeastern US, especially in Alabama. Canola (Brassica napus and B. rapa) could be a cash crop and second winter crop with several benefits to soil and the farmer after the summer crops, particularly cotton. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted to determine the comparative yield and cost of production of these two crops. Two cultivars each of canola (‘Flint' and ‘Jetton') and wheat (‘Jackson' and ‘Roberts') were planted in plots 11' x 60' in September 2004. The final yield was determined by combine harvesting 6-m long six middle rows from each plot and yield components were estimated on plants harvested from two 1-m long rows. The average yield from wheat was 1.4 Mg ha^-1 whereas that from canola was 2.5 Mg ha^-1. Both wheat cultivars produced similar grain yield whereas among canola cultivars, the longer duration cv. Jetton with greater biomass and 20% more filled pods outyielded cv. Flint by 38%. Canola with at least one Mg of grain yield higher than that of wheat could be a more economically viable alternative to winter wheat in Alabama and possibly the southeastern US.