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Segment Reporting
 12 Months Ended
Aug. 31, 2021
Segment Reporting [Abstract]  
Segment Reporting Segment Reporting
    We are an integrated agricultural cooperative, 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, processed grains and oilseeds, renewable fuels and food products. 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 the business. We have aggregated those operating segments into four reportable segments: Energy, Ag, Nitrogen Production and Foods.

    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 of our equity method investment in CF
Nitrogen and allocated expenses, which entitles us, pursuant to a supply agreement that we entered with CF Nitrogen, to purchase up to a specified quantity of granular urea and UAN annually from CF Nitrogen. Our Foods segment consists of our equity method investment in Ventura Foods and allocated expenses. Prior to August 31, 2021, Ventura Foods was reported as a component of Corporate and Other. Reported segment results and balances prior to August 31, 2021, have been recast to reflect the addition of the Foods segment. There were no changes to the composition of our Energy, Ag or Nitrogen Production segments as a result of the addition of the Foods segment. Corporate and Other represents our financing and hedging businesses, which primarily consists of a U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission-regulated futures commission merchant ("FCM") for commodities hedging and financial services related to crop production. Our nonconsolidated investment in Ardent Mills is also included in our Corporate and Other category.

    Corporate administrative expenses and interest are allocated to each reportable segment, along with Corporate and Other, based on direct use for 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 our operating results vary throughout the year. 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 and revenues during the spring planting season. Our global grain and processing operations are subject to fluctuations in volume and revenues based on producer harvests, world grain prices, demand and international trade relationships. Our Energy segment generally experiences higher volumes and revenues 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 and revenues 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 the weather, crop damage due to plant disease or insects, drought, availability and adequacy of supply, availability of a reliable rail and river transportation networks, 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 consolidating the revenues and expenses of the entity in our 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 our Foods segment, this consists of our 50% ownership in Ventura Foods. In Corporate and Other, this principally includes our 12% ownership in Ardent Mills. See Note 6, Investments, for more information related to CF Nitrogen, Ventura Foods and Ardent Mills.

    Reconciling amounts represent the elimination of revenues between segments. Such transactions are executed at market prices to more accurately evaluate the profitability of the individual business segments.
    Segment information for the years ended August 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, is presented in the tables below.
EnergyAgNitrogen ProductionFoodsCorporate
and Other		Reconciling
Amounts		Total
Year ended August 31, 2021(Dollars in thousands)
Revenues, including intersegment revenues$6,812,478 $32,058,064 $— $— $46,476 $(468,985)$38,448,033 
Intersegment revenues(437,217)(22,722)— — (9,046)468,985 — 
Revenues, net of intersegment revenues $6,375,261 $32,035,342 $— $— $37,430 $— $38,448,033 
Operating earnings (loss)(15,775)265,362 (35,432)(10,617)2,259 205,797 
Interest expense1,113 65,099 44,461 — 1,804 (7,912)104,565 
Other income(2,819)(47,452)(2,489)— (14,711)7,912 (59,559)
Equity income from investments(3,473)(50,381)(198,439)(78,519)(23,717)(354,529)
Income before income taxes$(10,596)$298,096 $121,035 $67,902 $38,883 $— $515,320 
Capital expenditures112,160 148,770 — — 56,864 — 317,794 
Depreciation and amortization245,273 182,210 — — 34,247 — 461,730 
Total assets as of August 31, 2021
4,286,677 7,451,559 2,683,652 388,612 2,765,775 — 17,576,275 

EnergyAgNitrogen ProductionFoodsCorporate
and Other		Reconciling
Amounts		Total
Year ended August 31, 2020(Dollars in thousands)
Revenues, including intersegment revenues$5,820,154 $22,940,712 $— $— $55,567 $(410,068)$28,406,365 
Intersegment revenues(389,020)(14,613)— — (6,435)410,068 — 
Revenues, net of intersegment revenues$5,431,134 $22,926,099 $— $— $49,132 $— $28,406,365 
Operating earnings (loss)219,861 82,543 (33,497)(9,847)18,205 — 277,265 
Interest expense308 71,682 45,255 — 11,806 (12,074)116,977 
Other income(3,005)(35,560)(2,635)— (10,749)12,074 (39,875)
Equity income from investments(2,759)(7,303)(127,954)(34,026)(14,673)— (186,715)
Income before income taxes$225,317 $53,724 $51,837 $24,179 $31,821 $— $386,878 
Capital expenditures175,169 158,903 — — 84,287 — 418,359 
Depreciation and amortization245,983 196,510 — — 34,882 — 477,375 
Total assets as of August 31, 2020
4,447,526 6,325,857 2,681,616 381,351 2,157,597 — 15,993,947 
EnergyAgNitrogen ProductionFoodsCorporate
and Other		Reconciling
Amounts		Total
Year ended August 31, 2019(Dollars in thousands)
Revenues, including intersegment revenues$7,581,450 $24,736,425 $— $— $68,710 $(486,132)$31,900,453 
Intersegment revenues(462,374)(16,353)— — (7,405)486,132 — 
Revenues, net of intersegment revenues$7,119,076 $24,720,072 $— $— $61,305 $— $31,900,453 
Operating earnings (loss)615,662 65,181 (35,046)(8,912)22,717 — 659,602 
Interest expense5,719 101,386 55,226 — 11,684 (6,950)167,065 
Other income(5,548)(74,774)(2,769)— (10,168)6,950 (86,309)
Equity income from investments(2,697)(4,447)(160,373)(51,608)(17,630)— (236,755)
Income before income taxes$618,188 $43,016 $72,870 $42,696 $38,831 $— $815,601 
Capital expenditures268,877 110,197 — — 64,142 — 443,216 
Depreciation and amortization233,624 208,294 — — 31,293 — 473,211 

    We have international sales, which are predominantly in our Ag segment. The following table presents our sales, based on the geographic location of the subsidiary making the sale, for the years ended August 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019:
202120202019
 (Dollars in thousands)
North America (a)
$36,540,178 $25,360,077 $27,896,269 
South America242,848 1,559,380 2,027,020 
Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA)955,605 774,068 895,472 
Asia Pacific (APAC)709,402 712,840 1,081,692 
Total$38,448,033 $28,406,365 $31,900,453 
(a) Revenues in North America are substantially all attributed to revenues from the United States.

Long-lived assets include our property, plant and equipment, finance lease assets and capitalized major maintenance costs. The following table presents long-lived assets by geographical region based on physical location:
20212020
 (Dollars in thousands)
United States$4,944,574 $5,121,315 
International62,072 65,134 
Total$5,006,646 $5,186,449