Voles eat many field crops, especially when populations are high.
In late summer and fall, voles store seeds, tubers, bulbs, and rhizomes in their tunnels. Voles also cause damage by the extensive tunnel systems that they build, resulting in root destruction and interfering with crop irrigation by displacing water and causing levees and checks to wash out. Voles reach a length of 5 to 7 inches at maturity. Their dense fur is grayish to brownish, and the underparts are generally gray, sometimes mixed with yellow or buff. They construct a complex tunnel system, with surface runways and numerous burrow entrances.