What were they farming?

[dodge man]

I wish I had got a picture but didn’t. I thought the field was winter wheat but I don’t think it was, but looked similar. They had already cut it and windrowed it but it wasn’t the usual hay. When I went by they were picking up the rows in something that looked like a combine, but slightly different and unique head. The combine was shooting it in wagons like they do with silage sometimes. I wish I could describe it better but that’s the best I can do.

 

[npalen]

triticale - - Image Search Results

Chopping triicale for silage?

Triticale - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[dodge man]

Pretty sure you nailed it. Never heard of it. It sounds like it’s similar to wheat.

 

[Wagtail]

Pretty sure you nailed it. Never heard of it. It sounds like it’s similar to wheat.

The first time that I'd heard of triticale was on the Star Trek (Original Series) episode "The Trouble With Tribbles".

 

[number two]

The first time that I'd heard of triticale was on the Star Trek (Original Series) episode "The Trouble With Tribbles".

Harry Mudd !

 

[LouNY]

Could have been winter rye that was put in as a cover crop.
Fairly common to chop that off early as forage then plant into the stubble.
Self propelled forage chopper;

 

[Zebrafive]

Rye was my guess too.
Farmer told me price for rye is low, so he sprayed it then about a week later no-tilled soybeans into the field.

 

[LouNY]

I believe that rye is one of the most common cover crops planted in the fall after harvest of corn or beans,
just to either be used as a forage crop or green manure, so either mowed and chopped or baled off, or simply sprayed and no tilled through.
And occasionally plowed under.
Depending upon the winter and spring weather sometimes like this spring in our area very little was harvested prior to spring planting as it didn't have a good growing season. Many years it will get too big and tall to no-till through and it needs to be harvested first.

 

[dodge man]

It could have been rye also. I also though of oats. The combine LouNY posted a pic of looks like what I saw but with a different head on it. I’m not sure the combine head did much other the scoop it up. I don’t know if the combine chopped it up more or not.

 

[lman]

It could have been rye also. I also though of oats. The combine LouNY posted a pic of looks like what I saw but with a different head on it. I’m not sure the combine head did much other the scoop it up. I don’t know if the combine chopped it up more or not.

That's not a combine, it's a forage chopper.