An agricultural harvesting machine embodying a self-propelled forage harvester is equipped with a shredding assembly for the continuous shredding of crop conveyed as a crop stream through the shredding assembly and a recutter disposed downstream of the shredding assembly relative to the direction of crop flow that comprises at least one cutting element that is moveable into and out of the crop stream. A control device that is operated via actuation of an actuator assigned to the cutting element to move the cutting element out of an inactive position (P0) in which the cutting element is ineffective relative to the crop stream into at least one active position (P1) in which the cutting element extends into the crop stream effectively imposing a shredding effect on the crop.