Related Party Transactions (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Aug. 31, 2016	Aug. 31, 2015	Aug. 31, 2014
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related party sales	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
Primarily CF Nitrogen, TEMCO, Horizon Milling, Ardent Mills and Ventura Foods
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related party sales	2,728,793	2,310,875	3,247,197
Purchases	1,707,990	1,762,663	$ 1,648,030
Due from related parties	25,386	73,000
Due to related parties	$ 40,543	$ 6,656

For an unclassified balance sheet, amounts due from related parties including affiliates, employees, joint ventures, officers and stockholders, immediate families thereof, and pension funds.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 850
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (d)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6457730&loc=d3e39549-107864

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
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-Topic 850
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-Section 50
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-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6457730&loc=d3e39549-107864

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+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
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-Publisher FASB
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