Economic Importance Losses caused by gophers typically involve damage to or destruction of plants. Forage crops, such as alfalfa, can sustain heavy damage because of gopher feeding and mound-building. In Nebraska, plains pocket gophers reduce forage yield on western rangelands by 21 to 49 percent and on hay meadows by 30 percent. They decreased yields of irrigationd alfalfa 17 percent. Dryland alfalfa yields in eastern Nebraska were reduced 35 percent.
Gopher mounds dull and plug sicklebars when hay is being harvested.
The mounds also serve as an excellent seed bed for various undesirable annual plants. Gophers damage trees by stem girdling, clipping, and root pruning. In irrigationd areas, gopher tunnels can channel water runoff causing loss of surface irrigation water and erosion. Gophers may also gnaw into underground cables and pipes, causing considerable damage that may be difficult to find and expensive to repair. On the other hand, gophers play a role in soil formation by moving soil and incorporating plant material.