Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Income Statement [Abstract]
Sales and merchandising revenues	$ 836,595	$ 859,612	$ 2,682,273	$ 2,811,735
Cost of sales and merchandising revenues	766,924	782,597	2,448,310	2,569,923
Gross profit	69,671	77,015	233,963	241,812
Operating, administrative and general expenses	68,456	78,767	220,331	234,053
Goodwill impairment	0	0	42,000	0
Interest expense	5,384	4,441	17,472	18,046
Other income:
Equity in earnings of affiliates, net	3,586	8,422	8,093	3,789
Other income, net	5,588	2,216	18,117	11,144
Income (loss) before income taxes	5,005	4,445	(19,630)	4,646
Income tax provision	2,389	1,104	7,505	1,486
Net income (loss)	2,616	3,341	(27,135)	3,160
Net income attributable to the noncontrolling interests	83	1,619	73	1,711
Net income (loss) attributable to The Andersons, Inc.	$ 2,533	$ 1,722	$ (27,208)	$ 1,449
Per common share:
Basic earnings attributable to The Andersons, Inc. common shareholders (dollars per share)	$ 0.09	$ 0.06	$ (0.96)	$ 0.05
Diluted earnings attributable to The Andersons, Inc. common shareholders (dollars per share)	0.09	0.06	(0.96)	0.05
Dividends declared (dollars per share)	$ 0.16	$ 0.155	$ 0.48	$ 0.465