Everyone is familiar with Groundhog Day being Feb. 2 and the excitement of whether a shadow will be seen on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney.

That seems to be all fun and games, but what is not, is the damage done and havoc caused by groundhogs for crop and vegetable producers.

The groundhog, or woodchuck, is one of 14 species of marmots. These rodents live a feast-or-famine lifestyle and gorge themselves all summer to build up plentiful reserves of fat.

After the first frost, they retreat to their underground burrows and snooze until spring, drawing their sustenance from body fat. While hibernating, the animal’s heart rate plunges, and its body temperature is not much warmer than the temperature inside its burrow.

Groundhogs are the largest members of the squirrel family. Though they are usually seen on the ground, they can climb trees and are also capable swimmers.

These rodents frequent the areas where woodlands meet open spaces, such as fields, roads or streams. Here they eat grasses and plants, as well as fruits and tree bark. They can decimate a field while voraciously feeding during the summer and fall seasons.

Many hunters enjoy the sport of groundhog hunting as a challenge, but often they cannot be hunted safely due to the location. There really are very few predators that would prey on full-grown groundhogs, so in many cases they thrive.

Vegetable growers and soybean producers suffer the greatest crop losses from groundhogs. Consider that since there are around 8,000 acres of soybeans in Butler County, it would be a conservative estimate to say that 5 percent will be destroyed by groundhogs.

This would equal around a $160,000 loss as a conservative estimate. Just imagine the loss to fruit and vegetable producers, and many soybean producers suffer much more than a 5 percent loss.

Groundhogs are without a doubt as destructive as any wildlife including deer and bear; it just depends on where a farm is located and the crops being produced.

In closing, one item that has not been mentioned is the physical damage to farm machinery and the safety aspect of a hay wagon hitting a groundhog hole and rolling over with someone on the wagon.

Tractors also have been known to roll over upon hitting a groundhog hole.

More common, though, are the broken mower knife sections, rake teeth, tedder teeth, bent wagon frames and broken wagon spindles.

The list could go on and on. The bottom line is groundhogs are a nuisance rodent that can cause extreme crop loss.

Luke Fritz is executive director of the Butler County Farm Service Agency.