Agricultural runoff persists as one of the most environmentally damaging byproducts of conventional agriculture. Vegetated ditches, which slow down and absorb nutrients through plant buffers, are a promising solution to reducing nitrogen load in runoff water. However, common practice when farming leafy green crops prescribes clearing vegetation within ditches to reduce rodent habitat due to food safety concerns. Despite these perceived risks, the relationship between vegetated ditches and rodent movement remains under-explored. I investigated the movement of rodents from agricultural ditches into crops in Monterey County, California using a novel automated telemetry system. While both vegetated and bareground ditches maintained populations of house mice (Mus musculus) and Gambel’s deer mice (Peromyscus gambelii), vegetated ditches additionally contained California voles (Microtus californicus) and shrews (Sorex spp.). I fitted radio collars on 67 voles, 39 deer mice and 8 house mice over a two-year period. After collecting automated tracking data, I compared movements of rodents in vegetated ditches to those in bareground ditches, specifically focusing on frequencies of ditch crossings and maximum travel distances of rodents into crop fields. These findings are likely to be of interest to growers and policymakers concerned about the implementation of vegetated ditches in agriculture.