The owner of Idaho gopher control, Matt Brechwald discussed with me recently how vols, gophers and ground squirrels go after your crops. “All three will eat roots to some extent but gophers almost exclusively eat roots. The vols and ground squirrels will feed on the surface. That is not to say that they won’t eat roots underground because they burrow. I have seen out south of fields this year already that are chewed down right to the dirt level. The alfalfa plants never had a chance to grow. I have seen vols do the same thing with pasture grass.