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Debt
6 Months Ended
Jan. 31, 2019
Debt Instrument [Line Items]  
Debt Disclosure [Text Block]

E.    Debt

Short-term borrowings

Ferrellgas classifies borrowings on the revolving line of credit portion of its Senior Secured Credit Facility as short-term because they are used to fund working capital needs that management intends to pay down within the twelve month period following the balance sheet date. As of January 31, 2019, there were no amounts classified as short-term borrowings. As of July 31, 2018,  $32.8 million was classified as short-term borrowings. For further discussion see the secured credit facility section below.

Secured credit facilities

As of January 31, 2019, the operating partnership had borrowings of $275.0 million under the Term Loan at a rate of 8.27%, which was classified as long-term debt, and no borrowings under the Revolving Facility. As of January 31, 2019, the operating partnership had available borrowing capacity under its Revolving Facility of $196.2 million. As of July 31, 2018, the operating partnership had borrowings of $275.0 million under the Term Loan at a rate of 7.86%, which was classified as long-term debt, and $32.8 million under the Revolving Facility at a rate of 9.75%, which was classified as short-term borrowings. As of July 31, 2018, the operating partnership had available borrowing capacity under its Revolving Facility of $159.3 million.

Letters of credit outstanding at January 31, 2019 and July 31, 2018 totaled $103.8 million and $107.9 million, respectively, and were used to secure insurance arrangements, product purchases and commodity hedges. At January 31, 2019, Ferrellgas had available letter of credit remaining capacity of $21.2 million. At July 31, 2018, Ferrellgas had available letter of credit remaining capacity of $17.1 million.

Debt and interest expense reduction and refinancing strategy

Ferrellgas continues to execute on a strategy to further reduce its debt and interest expense. This strategy included entering into the new Senior Secured Credit Facility and amending its accounts receivable securitization facility in May 2018 and certain asset sales during fiscal 2018. Ferrellgas continues to evaluate its options to address its leverage.

Financial covenants

The indenture governing the outstanding notes of Ferrellgas Partners and the agreements governing the operating partnership’s indebtedness contain various covenants that limit Ferrellgas Partners’ ability and the ability of specified subsidiaries to, among other things, make restricted payments and incur additional indebtedness. The general partner believes that the most restrictive of these covenants are those related to the consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio, as defined in the indenture governing the outstanding notes of Ferrellgas Partners, and the consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio, as defined in the indentures governing the outstanding notes of the operating partnership.

Consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio - Ferrellgas Partners, L.P., the master limited partnership

Under the Ferrellgas Partners indenture, before a restricted payment (as defined in the indenture) can be made by Ferrellgas Partners, Ferrellgas Partners must satisfy a consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio requirement or have unused capacity under a limited exception to the ratio requirement. If Ferrellgas Partners is unable to make restricted payments, Ferrellgas Partners will not have the ability to make distributions to Ferrellgas Partners common unitholders.

The restricted payments covenant requires that, for Ferrellgas Partners to make a restricted payment, the ratio of trailing four quarters EBITDA to interest expense (both as adjusted for certain, specified items) of Ferrellgas Partners be at least 1.75x on a pro forma basis giving effect to the restricted payment and, if applicable, certain other specified events, subject to its ability to make restricted payments under the limited exception described below. If this pro forma ratio is below 1.75x, Ferrellgas Partners may make restricted payments of up to $50.0 million in total over a sixteen quarter period. As of January 31, 2019, the ratio was 1.38x. As a result of distributions paid to common unitholders in September 2017, December 2017, March 2018, June 2018, and September 2018, while this ratio was less than 1.75x, Ferrellgas Partners has used substantially all of its capacity under the limited exception and therefore is currently restricted by this covenant from making future restricted payments, including distributions to common unitholders. Accordingly, no distributions were paid to common unitholders in December 2018 for the three months ended October 31, 2018 and no distributions will be paid for the three months ended January 31, 2019. Unless this indenture is amended or replaced, or our consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio improves to at least 1.75x this covenant will continue to restrict us from making common unit distributions.

Consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio - Ferrellgas, L.P., the operating partnership

Under the operating partnership indentures, before a restricted payment (as defined in the indentures) can be made by the operating partnership to Ferrellgas Partners, the operating partnership must satisfy a consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio requirement or have unused capacity under a limited exception to the ratio requirement. If the operating partnership is unable to make restricted payments, Ferrellgas Partners will not have the ability to make distributions to Ferrellgas Partners common unitholders or make interest payments on Ferrellgas Partners’ unsecured senior notes due 2020.

The restricted payment covenants require that, for the operating partnership to make a restricted payment, the ratio of trailing four quarters EBITDA to interest expense (both as adjusted for certain, specified items) of the operating partnership be at least 1.75x on a pro forma basis giving effect to the restricted payment and, if applicable, certain other specified events, subject to its ability to make restricted payments under the limited exception described below. If this pro forma ratio is below 1.75x, the operating partnership may make restricted payments in limited amounts determined under the indentures. As of January 31, 2019, the ratio was 1.67x. As a result, it’s likely the distribution that will be made by the operating partnership on June 15, 2019 for payment of interest on Ferrellgas Partners’ unsecured senior notes due 2020 will be made from capacity under the limited exception to the ratio requirement. The operating partnership believes that its remaining capacity under the limited exception to the ratio requirement will allow it to make distributions to Ferrellgas Partners sufficient to cover interest payments on Ferrellgas Partners’ unsecured senior notes due 2020 through maturity of those notes.

Ferrellgas, L.P. [Member]  
Debt Instrument [Line Items]  
Debt Disclosure [Text Block]

E.    Debt

Short-term borrowings

Ferrellgas, L.P. classifies borrowings on the revolving line of credit portion of its Senior Secured Credit Facility as short-term because they are used to fund working capital needs that management intends to pay down within the twelve month period following the balance sheet date. As of January 31, 2019, there were no amounts classified as short-term borrowings. As of July 31, 2018,  $32.8 million was classified as short-term borrowings. For further discussion see the secured credit facility section below.

Secured credit facilities

As of January 31, 2019, Ferrellgas, L.P. had borrowings of $275.0 million under the Term Loan at a rate of 8.27%, which was classified as long-term debt, and no borrowings under the Revolving Facility. As of January 31, 2019, Ferrellgas, L.P. had available borrowing capacity under its Revolving Facility of $196.2 million. As of July 31, 2018, Ferrellgas, L.P. had borrowings of $275.0 million under the Term Loan at a rate of 7.86%, which was classified as long-term debt, and $32.8 million under the Revolving Facility at a rate of 9.75%, which was classified as short-term borrowings. As of July 31, 2018, Ferrellgas, L.P. had available borrowing capacity under its Revolving Facility of $159.3 million.

Letters of credit outstanding at January 31, 2019 and July 31, 2018 totaled $103.8 million and $107.9 million, respectively, and were used to secure insurance arrangements, product purchases and commodity hedges. At January 31, 2019, Ferrellgas, L.P. had available letter of credit remaining capacity of $21.2 million. At July 31, 2018, Ferrellgas, L.P. had available letter of credit remaining capacity of $17.1 million.

Debt and interest expense reduction and refinancing strategy

Ferrellgas, L.P. continues to execute on a strategy to further reduce its debt and interest expense. This strategy included entering into the new Senior Secured Credit Facility and amending its accounts receivable securitization facility in May 2018 and certain asset sales during fiscal 2018. Ferrellgas, L.P. continues to evaluate its options to address its leverage.

Financial covenants

The agreements governing Ferrellgas, L.P.’s indebtedness contain various covenants that limit Ferrellgas, L.P.’s ability and the ability of specified subsidiaries to, among other things, make restricted payments and incur additional indebtedness. The general partner believes that the most restrictive of these covenants are those related to the consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio, as defined in the indentures governing the outstanding notes of Ferrellgas, L.P.

Under the indentures governing the outstanding notes of Ferrellgas, L.P., before a restricted payment (as defined in the indentures) can be made by Ferrellgas, L.P. to Ferrellgas Partners, Ferrellgas, L.P. must be satisfy a consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio requirement or have unused capacity under a limited exception to the ratio requirement. If Ferrellgas, L.P. is unable to make restricted payments, Ferrellgas Partners will not have the ability to make distributions to its common unitholders or make interest payments on its unsecured senior notes due 2020.

The restricted payments covenants require that, for Ferrellgas, L.P. to make a restricted payment, the ratio of trailing four quarters EBITDA to interest expense (both as adjusted for certain, specified items) of Ferrellgas, L.P. be at least 1.75x on a pro forma basis giving effect to the restricted payment and, if applicable, certain other specified events, subject to its ability to make restricted payments under the limited exception described below. If this pro forma ratio is below 1.75x, Ferrellgas, L.P. may make restricted payments in limited amounts determined under the indentures. As of January 31, 2019, the ratio was 1.67x. As a result, it’s likely the distribution that will be made by Ferrellgas, L.P. on June 15, 2019 for payment of interest on Ferrellgas Partners’ unsecured senior notes due 2020 will be made from capacity under the limited exception to the ratio requirement. Ferrellgas, L.P. believes that its remaining capacity under the limited exception to the ratio requirement will allow it to make distributions to Ferrellgas Partners’ to cover interest payments on Ferrellgas Partners’ unsecured senior notes due 2020 through the maturity of those notes.