If you no-till, you are likely familiar with voles. This small rodent can feed on seeds and plants, making soybean fields unsightly from the air. However, like a loud dog, the bark is usually worse than the bite. The tiny holes don’t usually add up to much, if any, yield loss on a field-wide basis.

That doesn’t mean you should ignore this pest. Recently, Rob Myers, director of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture at the University of Missouri and a regional director of North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Extension Programs, shared thoughts about voles during a webinar sponsored by the Midwest Cover Crops Council.

Related: Keep your eye out for slugs in early season

“I’m an advocate of doing less tillage, and if you reduce tillage, you may have a challenge with voles occasionally,” Myers said. “However, it’s typically not a widespread problem every year, even where growers use cover crops. They can show up where someone doesn’t use cover crops too.”

Myers noted that voles reproduce quickly given the right environment. “Still, if they’re a big challenge one year and you gear up next year, they often aren’t much of a problem that year,” he says. “They tend to show up in the same area once every three or four years, and then they often work in small patches within a field.”

Ray McCormick, Vincennes, Ind., no-tills with cover crops, often planting soybeans before corn. “If voles cause spotty damage, we map where holes are located,” he said. “Then we plant soybeans back in those gaps to fill in. They’re ready by harvest.”

Managing voles

Here are steps that may reduce potential vole damage, according to Myers:

Close seed trench. “Make sure you close the seed trench,” he advised. “It also helps if slugs are an issue. Varmints have a tougher time finding seed if the seed slot is closed properly.”

Drill soybeans. Voles tend to be worse in soybeans. Running a drill across the field increases odds of damaging burrows and killing voles. It’s not foolproof, however.

Seed deeper. Planting deeper, if it makes sense agronomically, could provide some help.

Fluff residue with a hoe. Rotary hoeing the field to fluff residue could disturb some burrows, Myers suggested.

Add brassica to cover crop mix. If you use cover crops, include a brassica in the mix with grasses, Myers said. Voles don’t like brassicas. However, if slugs are also an issue, it’s a Catch-22, as slugs like brassicas, he noted.

Reduce cover crop seeding rate. Planting a lower seeding rate of rye or other cover crops can help because there will be a thinner stand with less residue. This may also help keep slug issues at bay.

Monitor for voles. Scout for burrows, even up until planting. If you find five runs per acre, you may consider control measures such as light tillage, baits or predator enhancement, Myers said. Light tillage can be done to disturb vole runs, even if you prefer no-till. Some people put out perches for owls to roost if they know voles are present. Voles feed at night, and owls are good predators.

Spot-treat with bait. Zinc phosphide bait is labeled for voles. However, Myers considers it a last resort, and best used for spot treatment. It’s expensive and can harm beneficial organisms.