A harvesting machine is disclosed along with a method of operating the harvesting machine. The harvesting machine (10) includes a frame (26) having a first end (28) and a second end (30). A rotatable pick-up head (48) is pivotally mounted on the first end and is capable of urging a crop into the machine. A cutting mechanism (54) is mounted on a bottom plate (36) for cutting the stems of the plants. A crimper mechanism (56) is positioned downstream of the bottom plate and is capable of compacting the cut stems into a moving web. A moisture removal mechanism (70) is positioned after the crimper mechanism to lower the moisture in the cut stems. A crop converging mechanism (106) is located downstream of the moisture removal mechanism and reduces the width of the moving web into a ribbon. A chopper (115) then chops the ribbon into small pieces so that they can be blown into a storage wagon for transport.
