Basis Of Presentation And Description Of Business (Policy)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2021
Basis Of Presentation And Description Of Business [Abstract]
Consolidated Financial Statements	Consolidated Financial Statements The consolidated financial statements include the company’s accounts and all significant intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated. Unconsolidated entities are included in the financial statements on an equity basis. As of December 31, 2021, the company owns a 48.9% limited partner interest and a 2.0% general partner interest in Green Plains Partners LP. Public investors own the remaining 49.1% limited partner interest in the partnership. The company determined that the limited partners in the partnership with equity at risk lack the power, through voting rights or similar rights, to direct the activities that most significantly impact partnership’s economic performance; therefore, the partnership is considered a variable interest entity. The company, through its ownership of the general partner interest in the partnership, has the power to direct the activities that most significantly affect economic performance and is obligated to absorb losses and has the right to receive benefits that could be significant to the partnership. Therefore, the company is considered the primary beneficiary and consolidates the partnership in the company’s financial statements. The assets of the partnership cannot be used by the company for general corporate purposes. The partnership’s consolidated total assets as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, excluding intercompany balances, are $100.3 million and $91.2 million, respectively, and primarily consist of property and equipment, operating lease right-of-use assets and goodwill. The partnership’s consolidated total liabilities as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, excluding intercompany balances, are $111.4 million and $151.2 million, respectively, which primarily consist of long-term debt as discussed in Note 12 – Debt and operating lease liabilities. The liabilities recognized as a result of consolidating the partnership do not represent additional claims on our general assets. GPCC, previously a wholly owned subsidiary of Green Plains, was disposed of during the third quarter of 2019. The company concluded that the disposition of GPCC met the requirements under ASC 205-20 Presentation of Financial Statements – Discontinued Operations (“ASC 205-20”) to be presented as discontinued operations. As such, GPCC results prior to its disposition are classified as discontinued operations in prior period consolidated financial statements. Subsequently, GPCC was no longer consolidated in the company’s consolidated financial statements and the GPCC investment was accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Additionally, on October 1, 2020, pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, the company sold its remaining 50% joint venture interest in GPCC to AGR Special Opportunities Fund I, LP (AGR), TGAM Agribusiness Fund LP and StepStone Atlantic Fund, LP (StepStone). The transaction resulted in a reduction in investment in equity method investees of $69.7 million as a result of removal of the equity method investment in GPCC, and a reduction in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) of $10.7 million as a result of the removal of the company’s share of equity method investees accumulated other comprehensive loss. See Note 5 - Acquisitions, Dispositions and Discontinued Operations and Note 20 – Equity Method Investments for further details. The company also owns a 90.0% interest in BioProcess Algae, a joint venture formed in 2008, as well as a majority interest in FQT with their results being consolidated in our consolidated financial statements.
Reclassifications	Reclassifications Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. These reclassifications did not affect total revenues, costs and expenses or net income. See Note 12 – Debt and Note 15 – Stockholders’ Equity for further details.
Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements	Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The company bases its estimates on historical experience and assumptions it believes are proper and reasonable under the circumstances and regularly evaluates the appropriateness of its estimates and assumptions. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Key accounting policies, including but not limited to those relating to revenue recognition, carrying value of intangible assets, operating leases, impairment of long-lived assets and goodwill, derivative financial instruments, accounting for income taxes and assets acquired and liabilities assumed in acquisitions, are impacted significantly by judgments, assumptions and estimates used in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements.
Description of Business	Description of Business The company operates within three operating segments: (1) ethanol production, which includes the production of ethanol, including industrial-grade alcohol, distillers grains, Ultra-High Protein and corn oil, (2) agribusiness and energy services, which includes grain handling and storage, commodity marketing and merchant trading for company-produced and third-party ethanol, distillers grains, corn oil, natural gas and other commodities and (3) partnership, which includes fuel storage and transportation services. Results for our previously reported food and ingredients segment are now included in the agribusiness and energy services segment. The food and ingredients segment had no activity in either 2021 or 2020 and minimal activity in 2019.

Basis Of Presentation And Description Of Business (Policy)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

Basis Of Presentation And Description Of Business [Abstract]

Consolidated Financial Statements The consolidated financial statements include the company’s accounts and all significant intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated. Unconsolidated entities are included in the financial statements on an equity basis. As of December 31, 2021, the company owns a 48.9% limited partner interest and a 2.0% general partner interest in Green Plains Partners LP. Public investors own the remaining 49.1% limited partner interest in the partnership. The company determined that the limited partners in the partnership with equity at risk lack the power, through voting rights or similar rights, to direct the activities that most significantly impact partnership’s economic performance; therefore, the partnership is considered a variable interest entity. The company, through its ownership of the general partner interest in the partnership, has the power to direct the activities that most significantly affect economic performance and is obligated to absorb losses and has the right to receive benefits that could be significant to the partnership. Therefore, the company is considered the primary beneficiary and consolidates the partnership in the company’s financial statements. The assets of the partnership cannot be used by the company for general corporate purposes. The partnership’s consolidated total assets as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, excluding intercompany balances, are $100.3 million and $91.2 million, respectively, and primarily consist of property and equipment, operating lease right-of-use assets and goodwill. The partnership’s consolidated total liabilities as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, excluding intercompany balances, are $111.4 million and $151.2 million, respectively, which primarily consist of long-term debt as discussed in Note 12 – Debt and operating lease liabilities. The liabilities recognized as a result of consolidating the partnership do not represent additional claims on our general assets. GPCC, previously a wholly owned subsidiary of Green Plains, was disposed of during the third quarter of 2019. The company concluded that the disposition of GPCC met the requirements under ASC 205-20 Presentation of Financial Statements – Discontinued Operations (“ASC 205-20”) to be presented as discontinued operations. As such, GPCC results prior to its disposition are classified as discontinued operations in prior period consolidated financial statements. Subsequently, GPCC was no longer consolidated in the company’s consolidated financial statements and the GPCC investment was accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Additionally, on October 1, 2020, pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, the company sold its remaining 50% joint venture interest in GPCC to AGR Special Opportunities Fund I, LP (AGR), TGAM Agribusiness Fund LP and StepStone Atlantic Fund, LP (StepStone). The transaction resulted in a reduction in investment in equity method investees of $69.7 million as a result of removal of the equity method investment in GPCC, and a reduction in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) of $10.7 million as a result of the removal of the company’s share of equity method investees accumulated other comprehensive loss. See Note 5 - Acquisitions, Dispositions and Discontinued Operations and Note 20 – Equity Method Investments for further details. The company also owns a 90.0% interest in BioProcess Algae, a joint venture formed in 2008, as well as a majority interest in FQT with their results being consolidated in our consolidated financial statements.

Reclassifications

Reclassifications Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. These reclassifications did not affect total revenues, costs and expenses or net income. See Note 12 – Debt and Note 15 – Stockholders’ Equity for further details.

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The company bases its estimates on historical experience and assumptions it believes are proper and reasonable under the circumstances and regularly evaluates the appropriateness of its estimates and assumptions. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Key accounting policies, including but not limited to those relating to revenue recognition, carrying value of intangible assets, operating leases, impairment of long-lived assets and goodwill, derivative financial instruments, accounting for income taxes and assets acquired and liabilities assumed in acquisitions, are impacted significantly by judgments, assumptions and estimates used in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements.

Description of Business

Description of Business The company operates within three operating segments: (1) ethanol production, which includes the production of ethanol, including industrial-grade alcohol, distillers grains, Ultra-High Protein and corn oil, (2) agribusiness and energy services, which includes grain handling and storage, commodity marketing and merchant trading for company-produced and third-party ethanol, distillers grains, corn oil, natural gas and other commodities and (3) partnership, which includes fuel storage and transportation services. Results for our previously reported food and ingredients segment are now included in the agribusiness and energy services segment. The food and ingredients segment had no activity in either 2021 or 2020 and minimal activity in 2019.