Notes Payable and Long-Term Debt - Schedule of Notes Payable and Long-Term Debt (Details) - USD ($)			1 Months Ended
		Jun. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Aug. 31, 2016	Jan. 31, 2016	Aug. 31, 2015
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Notes payable				$ 2,731,479,000		$ 1,165,378,000
Total long-term debt				2,174,752,000
Capital Lease Obligations				105,708,000		125,894,000
Long-term Debt, Fair Value				2,302,779,000		1,431,117,000
Less current portion				214,329,000		170,309,000
Long-term portion				$ 2,088,450,000		$ 1,260,808,000
Debt Instrument, Term		10 years
Unsecured debt | Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate				1.30%
Unsecured debt | Maximum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate				15.25%
Committed Term Loans, September 2015 [Member] | Secured debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt				$ 300,000,000
Debt instrument, amount available to be paid and re-advanced		$ 300,000,000
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		$ 600,000,000	$ 600,000,000.0
Debt Instrument, Term			10 years
Private Placement Long Term Notes January 2016 [Member] | Unsecured debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount					$ 680,000,000
Notes Payable, Other Payables [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Notes payable, weighted average interest rate	[1]			1.72%		2.33%
Notes Payable, Other Payables [Member] | Notes Payable, Other Payables [Member] | Revolving credit facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Notes payable	[1]			$ 1,803,174,000		$ 813,717,000
CHS Capital notes payable
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Notes payable, weighted average interest rate	[2]			1.31%		1.05%
Private placement, payable in equal installments beginning in 2014 through 2018 | Unsecured debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate				6.18%
Total long-term debt				$ 160,000,000		$ 240,000,000
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 400,000,000
Private placement, payable in installments through 2018 | Unsecured debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate				5.60%
Total long-term debt				$ 13,846,000		23,077,000
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 60,000,000
Private placement, note purchase and private shelf agreement with Prudential Capital Group, payable in equal installments beginning in 2014 through 2018 | Notes Payable, Other Payables [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate				5.78%
Total long-term debt				$ 20,000,000		30,000,000
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 50,000,000
Private placement, note purchase and private shelf agreement with Prudential Capital Group, payable in equal installments beginning in 2017 through 2021 | Notes Payable, Other Payables [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate				4.00%
Total long-term debt				$ 100,000,000		100,000,000
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 100,000,000
Private placement, payable in its entirety in 2019 | Unsecured debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate				4.08%
Total long-term debt				$ 141,344,000		132,161,000
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 130,000,000
Private placement, payable in its entirety in 2021 | Unsecured debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate				4.52%
Total long-term debt				$ 162,633,000		164,654,000
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 160,000,000
Private placement, payable in its entirety in 2023 | Unsecured debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate				4.67%
Total long-term debt				$ 138,101,000		135,422,000
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 130,000,000
Private placement, 300K payable in 2025 [Member] | Unsecured debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate				2.25%
Total long-term debt				$ 300,000,000		0
Private placement, payable in 2023 152k [Member] [Member] | Unsecured debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate				4.39%
Total long-term debt				$ 152,000,000		0
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 152,000,000
Private placement, payable in 2025 80k [Member] | Unsecured debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate				3.85%
Total long-term debt				$ 80,000,000		80,000,000
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 80,000,000
Private placement, payable in 2025 100k [Member] | Unsecured debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate				3.80%
Total long-term debt				$ 100,000,000		100,000,000
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 100,000,000
Private placement, payable in 2025 150k [Member] [Member] | Unsecured debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate				4.58%
Total long-term debt				$ 150,000,000		0
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 150,000,000
Private placement, payable in its entirety in 2026 | Unsecured debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate				4.82%
Total long-term debt				$ 80,000,000		80,000,000
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 80,000,000
Private placement, payable in its entirety in 2027 [Member] | Unsecured debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate				4.69%
Total long-term debt				$ 58,000,000		0
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 58,000,000
Private placement, payable in its entirety in 2028 [Member] | Unsecured debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate				4.74%
Total long-term debt				$ 95,000,000		0
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 95,000,000
Private placement, payable in its entirety in 2031 [Member] | Unsecured debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate				4.89%
Total long-term debt				$ 100,000,000		0
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 100,000,000
Private placement, payable in its entirety 2033 [Member] | Unsecured debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate				4.71%
Total long-term debt				$ 100,000,000		100,000,000
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 100,000,000
Private placement, payable in its entirety in 2036 [Member] | Unsecured debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate				4.71%
Total long-term debt				$ 125,000,000		0
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				125,000,000
Other notes and contracts | Secured debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt	[3]			$ 76,147,000		$ 44,909,000

[1] our primary committed line of credit which is a $3.0 billion five-year, unsecured revolving credit facility with a syndication of domestic and international banks that expires in September 2020. The outstanding balance on this facility was $700.0 million as of August 31, 2016. There was no outstanding balance on the predecessor facility as of August 31, 2015. Amounts borrowed under this facility primarily bear interest at base rates (or London Interbank Offered Rates ("LIBOR")) plus applicable margins ranging from 0.00% to 1.45%.In December 2015, we entered into three bilateral, uncommitted revolving credit facilities with an aggregate capacity of $1.3 billion. As of August 31, 2016, the aggregate capacity is $600 million. Amounts borrowed under these short-term lines are used to fund our working capital and bear interest at base rates (or London Interbank Offered Rates ("LIBOR")) plus applicable margins ranging from 0.25% to 1.00%. As of August 31, 2016, outstanding borrowings under these facilities were $300.0 million. In addition to our primary revolving line of credit, we have a three-year $325.0 million committed revolving pre-export credit facility for CHS Agronegocio Industria e Comercio Ltda ("CHS Agronegocio"), our wholly-owned subsidiary, to provide financing for its working capital needs arising from its purchases and sales of grains, fertilizers and other agricultural products which expires in April 2019. As of August 31, 2016, the outstanding balance under the facility was $260.0 million.As of August 31, 2016, our wholly-owned subsidiaries, CHS Europe S.a.r.l and CHS Agronegocio, had uncommitted lines of credit with $290.1 million outstanding. In addition, our other international subsidiaries had lines of credit with a total of $252.1 million outstanding as of August 31, 2016, of which $27.7 million was collateralized. We have two commercial paper programs with an aggregate capacity of $125.0 million, with two banks participating in our revolving credit facilities. Terms of our credit facilities do not allow them to be used to pay principal under a commercial paper facility. On August 31, 2016 we had no commercial paper outstanding. Miscellaneous short-term notes payable totaled $1.0 million as of August 31, 2016.

[2] Cofina Funding, LLC ("Cofina Funding"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CHS Capital, has available credit totaling $850.0 million as of August 31, 2016, under note purchase agreements with various purchasers and through the issuance of short-term notes payable. CHS Capital and CHS Inc. both sell eligible receivables they have originated to Cofina Funding, which are then pledged as collateral under the note purchase agreements. The notes payable issued by Cofina Funding bear interest at variable rates based on commercial paper with a weighted average rate of 1.40% as of August 31, 2016. There were $550.0 million in borrowings by Cofina Funding utilizing the issuance of commercial paper under the note purchase agreements as of August 31, 2016. CHS Capital has available credit under master participation agreements with numerous counterparties. Borrowings under these agreements are accounted for as secured borrowings and bear interest at variable rates ranging from 1.90% to 2.50% as of August 31, 2016. As of August 31, 2016, the total funding commitment under these agreements was $116.9 million, of which $24.9 million was borrowed.CHS Capital sells loan commitments it has originated to ProPartners Financial ("ProPartners") on a recourse basis. The total capacity for commitments under the ProPartners program is $265.0 million. The total outstanding commitments under the program totaled $183.5 million as of August 31, 2016, of which $122.3 million was borrowed under these commitments with an interest rate of 1.67%. CHS Capital borrows funds under short-term notes issued as part of a surplus funds program. Borrowings under this program are unsecured and bear interest at variable rates ranging from 0.10% to 0.90% as of August 31, 2016, and are due upon demand. Borrowings under these notes totaled $231.2 million as of August 31, 2016.

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