The great white combine...

I didn't know what "the great white combine" was until I moved to ND. 

Simply put it's HAIL.

Large, hard chunks of ice.

Falling with great force from the sky.

And here is what it did to our crops.

 Our beautiful corn crop stripped of its leaves.

 Without tassels and broken over in half.

 (This picture is sideways) The wheat beaten down into the ground.

The farmers discussing the possibilities of what they might be able to do to recover part of their wheat loss.  (Note: the wheat should be above Wes's knees.)