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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details) (USD $) | 3 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended
--- | --- | ---
Oct. 02, 2010 | Dec. 31, 2011 affiliate Y M | Dec. 31, 2010 | Dec. 31, 2009
Operations of Seaboard Corporation and its Subsidiaries |  |  |  |
Percentage of ownership interest held by Seaboard Flour LLC and SFC Preferred LLC (Parent Companies) |  | 73.80% |  |
Principles of Consolidation and Investments in Affiliates |  |  |  |
Minimum time lag for reporting financial information of certain subsidiaries and affiliates (in months) |  | 1 |  |
Maximum time lag for reporting financial information of certain subsidiaries and affiliates (in months) |  | 3 |  |
Property, Plant and Equipment |  |  |  |
Useful lives, minimum (in years) |  | 3 |  |
Useful Lives, maximum (in years) |  | 30 |  |
Deferred Grants |  |  |  |
Deferred Grants |  | $ 5,631,000 | $ 6,047,000 |
Changes in the asset retirement obligation |  |  |  |
Beginning balance |  | 12,028,000 | 11,090,000 |
Accretion Expense |  | 1,007,000 | 938,000 |
Liability for additional lagoons placed in service |  | 74,000 |  |
Ending balance |  | 13,109,000 | 12,028,000 | 11,090,000
Cash and Cash Equivalents |  |  |  |
Interest (net of amounts capitalized) |  | 6,786,000 | 8,377,000 | 13,845,000
Income taxes (net of refunds) |  | 126,730,000 | 69,626,000 | (10,542,000)
Capitalized interest |  | 6,723,000 | 3,350,000 | 702,000
Supplemental Non-Cash Transactions |  |  |  |
Total cash paid for majority interest acquired in commodity origination, storage and processing business in Canada | 5,578,000 |  | 5,578,000 |
Increase in working capital | 1,254,000 |  |  |
Increase in fixed assets | 4,637,000 |  |  |
Increase in other long-term assets | 833,000 |  |  |
Increase in deferred tax liabilities | 896,000 |  |  |
Increase in non-controlling interest | 250,000 |  |  |
Non-cash, pay-in-kind interest income and accretion of discount recognized on a note receivable from an affiliate |  | 10,584,000 | 695,000 |
Foreign Currency Transactions and Translation |  |  |  |
Foreign currency gain |  |  |  | $ 4,794,000
The lag for reporting remeasurement of notes payable denominated in foreign currency (in months) |  | 1 |  |
Number of non-controlled, non-consolidated affiliates using local currency as their functional currency |  | 7 |  |

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