Abstract: A forage cutter includes a housing having a pair of end walls, a forward inlet for receiving forage material and a rearward outlet for discharging forage material. A rotary cylinder shaft is journaled for rotation in the end walls, and a rotary cylindrical cutter having a plurality of cutting knives is mounted on the shaft for rotation about its longitudinal axis. The cutting knives are movable in a 360.degree. cylindrical cutting path having a 0.degree. reference on a horizontal plane extending radially from the axis of the cutter through the forward inlet. A recutter having a single recutter blade disposed at the outlet of the housing is positioned in coacting shearing relation with the cutting knives. The recutter blade is horizontally positioned between about 120.degree. to 150.degree. from the horizontal plane in the direction of the cylindrical cutting path.