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Segment Reporting
 6 Months Ended
Feb. 28, 2021
Segment Reporting [Abstract]  
Segment Reporting Segment Reporting
    We are an integrated agricultural enterprise, providing grain, foods and energy resources to businesses and consumers on a global basis. We provide a wide variety of products and services, from initial agricultural inputs such as fuels, farm supplies, crop nutrients and crop protection products, to agricultural outputs that include grains and oilseeds, grain and oilseed processing and food products, and the production and marketing of ethanol. We define our operating segments in accordance with ASC Topic 280, Segment Reporting, to reflect the manner in which our chief operating decision-maker, our Chief Executive Officer, evaluates performance and allocates resources in managing our businesses. We have aggregated those operating segments into three reportable segments: Energy, Ag and Nitrogen Production.

    Our Energy segment produces and provides primarily for the wholesale distribution of petroleum products and transportation of those products. Our Ag segment purchases and further processes or resells grains and oilseeds originated by our country operations business, by our member cooperatives and by third parties; serves as a wholesaler and retailer of crop inputs; and produces and markets ethanol. Our Nitrogen Production segment consists solely of our equity method investment in CF Nitrogen, which entitles us, pursuant to a supply agreement that we entered into with CF Nitrogen, to purchase up to a specified quantity of granular urea and urea ammonium nitrate annually from CF Nitrogen. Corporate and Other represents our financing and hedging businesses, which consist primarily of financial services related to crop production and a U.S.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission-regulated futures commission merchant for commodities hedging. Our nonconsolidated investments in Ventura Foods and Ardent Mills are also included in our Corporate and Other category.
    
    Corporate administrative expenses and interest are allocated to each reportable segment and Corporate and Other, based on direct use of services, such as information technology and legal, and other factors or considerations relevant to the costs incurred.

    Many of our business activities are highly seasonal and operating results vary throughout the year. Our revenues generally trend lower during the second and fourth fiscal quarters and higher during the first and third fiscal quarters; however, our income (loss) before income taxes does not necessarily follow the same trend due to weather and other events that can impact profitability. For example, in our Ag segment, our country operations business generally experiences higher volumes and revenues during the fall harvest and spring planting seasons, which generally correspond to our first and third fiscal quarters, respectively. Additionally, our agronomy business generally experiences higher volumes during the spring planting season. Our global grain marketing operations are subject to fluctuations in volume and income based on producer harvests, world grain prices, demand and global trade volumes. Our Energy segment generally experiences higher volumes in certain operating areas, such as refined products, in the spring, summer and early fall when gasoline and diesel fuel use by agricultural producers is highest and is subject to global supply and demand forces. Other energy products, such as propane, generally experience higher volumes during the winter heating and fall crop-drying seasons.

    Our revenues, assets and cash flows can be significantly affected by global market prices for commodities such as petroleum products, natural gas, grains, oilseeds, crop nutrients and flour. Changes in market prices for commodities that we purchase without a corresponding change in the selling prices of those products can affect revenues and operating earnings. Commodity prices are affected by a wide range of factors beyond our control, including weather, crop damage due to plant disease or insects, drought, availability and adequacy of supply, availability of a reliable rail and river transportation network, outbreaks of disease, government regulations and policies, global trade disputes, and general political and economic conditions.

    While our revenues and operating results are derived primarily from businesses and operations that are wholly-owned or subsidiaries and limited liability companies in which we have a controlling interest, a portion of our business operations are conducted through companies in which we hold ownership interests of 50% or less or do not control the operations. We account for these investments primarily using the equity method of accounting, wherein we record our proportionate share of income or loss reported by the entity as equity income from investments, without consolidation of the revenues and expenses of the entity in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. In our Nitrogen Production segment, this consists of our approximate 10% membership interest (based on product tons) in CF Nitrogen. In Corporate and Other, this principally includes our 50% ownership in Ventura Foods and our 12% ownership in Ardent Mills. See Note 5, Investments, for more information on these entities.
    Reconciling amounts primarily represent the elimination of revenues between segments. Such transactions are executed at market prices to more accurately evaluate the profitability of individual business segments.

    Segment information for the three and six months ended February 28, 2021, and February 29, 2020, is presented in the tables below.
EnergyAgNitrogen ProductionCorporate
and Other		Reconciling
Amounts		Total
Three Months Ended February 28, 2021(Dollars in thousands)
Revenues, including intersegment revenues$1,470,465 $6,942,185 $— $12,046 $(104,537)$8,320,159 
Intersegment revenues(98,307)(3,973)— (2,257)104,537 — 
Revenues, net of intersegment revenues
$1,372,158 $6,938,212 $— $9,789 $— $8,320,159 
Operating (loss) earnings(55,449)2,093 (8,240)1,806 — (59,790)
Interest expense1,063 16,630 12,241 7 (1,086)28,855 
Other income(990)(11,636)(302)(6,004)1,086 (17,846)
Equity income from investments(832)(16,945)(31,344)(14,988)— (64,109)
(Loss) income before income taxes$(54,690)$14,044 $11,165 $22,791 $— $(6,690)
EnergyAgNitrogen ProductionCorporate
and Other		Reconciling
Amounts		Total
Three Months Ended February 29, 2020(Dollars in thousands)
Revenues, including intersegment revenues$1,561,908 $5,127,441 $— $14,049 $(105,172)$6,598,226 
Intersegment revenues(100,858)(3,239)— (1,075)105,172 — 
Revenues, net of intersegment revenues
$1,461,050 $5,124,202 $— $12,974 $— $6,598,226 
Operating earnings (loss)137,187 (6,809)(10,559)(4,334)— 115,485 
Interest expense(187)20,759 11,971 3,032 (2,164)33,411 
Other income(938)(11,395)(348)(835)2,164 (11,352)
Equity (income) loss from investments(609)4,672 (27,923)(10,538)— (34,398)
Income (loss) before income taxes$138,921 $(20,845)$5,741 $4,007 $— $127,824