Winter canola (Brassica napus) grown as a cover crop or as an alternative oilseed crop has the potential to provide environmental and economic benefits. However, winter canola does not consistently overwinter in Iowa and other regions of the Midwest. Therefore, we collaborated with the National Winter Canola Variety Trial to investigate the effect of different varieties on the potential of winter canola successfully overwintering and producing adequate yields in Iowa environments. In 2017-2018, 38 varieties and in 2018-2019, 30 varieties of winter canola were assessed based on fall stand establishment, winter survival, and yield. This study included varieties, both hybrid and open-pollinated, that were available for commercial release, as well as unreleased breeding lines provided by Kansas State University. Our results indicate that there are significant differences among varieties in all three categories, but identification of high performing varieties was not established. Results from this study determine that winter canola has the potential to produce excellent fall stands, have overwintering success of over 85%, and produce yields close to 1000 kg ha-1. However, poor environmental conditions resulted in both insufficient heat unit accumulation and a decrease in yield components that negatively affected fall stand, winter survival, and yield of canola plots. However, number of entries did show potential for success in Iowa if they are seeded early in the fall, weed management is adequate and there are mild weather conditions.