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Commitments and Contingencies Narrative (Details) (USD $)
3 Months Ended 12 Months Ended
Jan. 31, 2014
Oct. 31, 2014
Oct. 31, 2013
Oct. 31, 2012
Oct. 31, 2011
Purchase Commitment, Excluding Long-term Commitment [Line Items]          
Selling and Marketing Expense   $ 1,318,000us-gaap_SellingAndMarketingExpense $ 1,031,000us-gaap_SellingAndMarketingExpense $ 743,000us-gaap_SellingAndMarketingExpense  
Entity-Wide Revenue, Major Customer, Percentage 100.00%us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskPercentage1        
Natural Gas [Member]          
Purchase Commitment, Excluding Long-term Commitment [Line Items]          
Future Commitment, Pipeline   9.5gfe_FutureCommitmentPipeline
/ us-gaap_PurchaseCommitmentExcludingLongtermCommitmentAxis
= us-gaap_NaturalGasReservesMember
     
Future Commitment, DT   1,400,000gfe_FutureCommitmentDt
/ us-gaap_PurchaseCommitmentExcludingLongtermCommitmentAxis
= us-gaap_NaturalGasReservesMember
     
Corn Oil [Member]          
Purchase Commitment, Excluding Long-term Commitment [Line Items]          
Fees and Commissions   (112,000)us-gaap_FeesAndCommissions
/ gfe_PurchaseCommitmentAxis
= gfe_CornOilMember
(74,000)us-gaap_FeesAndCommissions
/ gfe_PurchaseCommitmentAxis
= gfe_CornOilMember
(55,000)us-gaap_FeesAndCommissions
/ gfe_PurchaseCommitmentAxis
= gfe_CornOilMember
 
Distillers Grains [Member]          
Purchase Commitment, Excluding Long-term Commitment [Line Items]          
Written Notice   P90D      
Contract, Initial Length   P1Y      
Fees and Commissions   (518,000)us-gaap_FeesAndCommissions
/ gfe_PurchaseCommitmentAxis
= gfe_DistillersGrainsMember
  (745,000)us-gaap_FeesAndCommissions
/ gfe_PurchaseCommitmentAxis
= gfe_DistillersGrainsMember
(650,000)us-gaap_FeesAndCommissions
/ gfe_PurchaseCommitmentAxis
= gfe_DistillersGrainsMember
Granite Falls Energy [Member]          
Purchase Commitment, Excluding Long-term Commitment [Line Items]          
Entity-Wide Revenue, Major Customer, Percentage   99.00%us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskPercentage1
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_GraniteFallsEnergyMember
100.00%us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskPercentage1
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_GraniteFallsEnergyMember
100.00%us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskPercentage1
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_GraniteFallsEnergyMember
 
Granite Falls Energy [Member] | Natural Gas [Member]          
Purchase Commitment, Excluding Long-term Commitment [Line Items]          
Future Commitment, Dollar   1,499,000gfe_FutureCommitmentDollar
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_GraniteFallsEnergyMember
/ us-gaap_PurchaseCommitmentExcludingLongtermCommitmentAxis
= us-gaap_NaturalGasReservesMember
     
future commitment, percent of anticipated usage   50.00%gfe_Futurecommitmentpercentofanticipatedusage
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_GraniteFallsEnergyMember
/ us-gaap_PurchaseCommitmentExcludingLongtermCommitmentAxis
= us-gaap_NaturalGasReservesMember
     
Granite Falls Energy [Member] | Ethanol Contracts [Member]          
Purchase Commitment, Excluding Long-term Commitment [Line Items]          
Future Commitment, Dollar   23,887,000gfe_FutureCommitmentDollar
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_GraniteFallsEnergyMember
/ us-gaap_PrincipleTransactionRevenueDescriptionOfReportingCategoryAxis
= gfe_EthanolContractsMember
     
Revenue Concentration, Future Commitment   55.00%gfe_RevenueConcentrationFutureCommitment
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_GraniteFallsEnergyMember
/ us-gaap_PrincipleTransactionRevenueDescriptionOfReportingCategoryAxis
= gfe_EthanolContractsMember
     
Granite Falls Energy [Member] | Distillers Grains [Member]          
Purchase Commitment, Excluding Long-term Commitment [Line Items]          
Future Commitment, Dollar   2,953,000gfe_FutureCommitmentDollar
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_GraniteFallsEnergyMember
/ us-gaap_PrincipleTransactionRevenueDescriptionOfReportingCategoryAxis
= gfe_DistillersGrainsMember
     
Revenue Concentration, Future Commitment   45.00%gfe_RevenueConcentrationFutureCommitment
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_GraniteFallsEnergyMember
/ us-gaap_PrincipleTransactionRevenueDescriptionOfReportingCategoryAxis
= gfe_DistillersGrainsMember
     
Granite Falls Energy [Member] | Initial Length [Member] | Ethanol Contracts [Member]          
Purchase Commitment, Excluding Long-term Commitment [Line Items]          
Written Notice   P1Y      
Granite Falls Energy [Member] | Renewal Notice [Member] | Ethanol Contracts [Member]          
Purchase Commitment, Excluding Long-term Commitment [Line Items]          
Written Notice   P90D      
Granite Falls Energy [Member] | Corn Contracts [Member]          
Purchase Commitment, Excluding Long-term Commitment [Line Items]          
forward contracts   0gfe_Forwardcontracts
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_GraniteFallsEnergyMember
/ gfe_PurchaseCommitmentAxis
= gfe_CornContractsMember
     
Accounts Payable   1,998,000us-gaap_AccountsPayableCurrentAndNoncurrent
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_GraniteFallsEnergyMember
/ gfe_PurchaseCommitmentAxis
= gfe_CornContractsMember
4,002,000us-gaap_AccountsPayableCurrentAndNoncurrent
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_GraniteFallsEnergyMember
/ gfe_PurchaseCommitmentAxis
= gfe_CornContractsMember
   
Purchases For Inventory 82,955,000gfe_PurchasesForInventory
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_GraniteFallsEnergyMember
/ gfe_PurchaseCommitmentAxis
= gfe_CornContractsMember
  153,216,000gfe_PurchasesForInventory
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_GraniteFallsEnergyMember
/ gfe_PurchaseCommitmentAxis
= gfe_CornContractsMember
148,289,000gfe_PurchasesForInventory
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_GraniteFallsEnergyMember
/ gfe_PurchaseCommitmentAxis
= gfe_CornContractsMember
 
Granite Falls Energy [Member] | Corn Oil [Member]          
Purchase Commitment, Excluding Long-term Commitment [Line Items]          
Written Notice   P90D      
Contract, Initial Length   P1Y      
Heron Lake Bioenergy [Member] | Natural Gas [Member]          
Purchase Commitment, Excluding Long-term Commitment [Line Items]          
Future Commitment, Dollar   1,356,000gfe_FutureCommitmentDollar
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_HeronLakeBioenergyMember
/ us-gaap_PurchaseCommitmentExcludingLongtermCommitmentAxis
= us-gaap_NaturalGasReservesMember
     
future commitment, percent of anticipated usage   50.00%gfe_Futurecommitmentpercentofanticipatedusage
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_HeronLakeBioenergyMember
/ us-gaap_PurchaseCommitmentExcludingLongtermCommitmentAxis
= us-gaap_NaturalGasReservesMember
     
Heron Lake Bioenergy [Member] | Ethanol Contracts [Member]          
Purchase Commitment, Excluding Long-term Commitment [Line Items]          
Future Commitment, Dollar       23,915,000gfe_FutureCommitmentDollar
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_HeronLakeBioenergyMember
/ us-gaap_PrincipleTransactionRevenueDescriptionOfReportingCategoryAxis
= gfe_EthanolContractsMember
 
Revenue Concentration, Future Commitment   55.00%gfe_RevenueConcentrationFutureCommitment
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_HeronLakeBioenergyMember
/ us-gaap_PrincipleTransactionRevenueDescriptionOfReportingCategoryAxis
= gfe_EthanolContractsMember
     
Heron Lake Bioenergy [Member] | Distillers Grains [Member]          
Purchase Commitment, Excluding Long-term Commitment [Line Items]          
Future Commitment, Dollar   2,669,000gfe_FutureCommitmentDollar
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_HeronLakeBioenergyMember
/ us-gaap_PrincipleTransactionRevenueDescriptionOfReportingCategoryAxis
= gfe_DistillersGrainsMember
     
Revenue Concentration, Future Commitment   34.00%gfe_RevenueConcentrationFutureCommitment
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_HeronLakeBioenergyMember
/ us-gaap_PrincipleTransactionRevenueDescriptionOfReportingCategoryAxis
= gfe_DistillersGrainsMember
     
Heron Lake Bioenergy [Member] | Corn Oil [Member]          
Purchase Commitment, Excluding Long-term Commitment [Line Items]          
Written Notice   P90D      
Contract, Initial Length   P1Y      
Corn Contracts [Member] | Granite Falls Energy [Member]          
Purchase Commitment, Excluding Long-term Commitment [Line Items]          
Inventory Dollars, Outside Storage   $ 1,089,700gfe_InventoryDollarsOutsideStorage
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_GraniteFallsEnergyMember
/ us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis
= gfe_CornContractsMember
     
Inventory, Outside storage   230,000gfe_InventoryOutsideStorage
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_GraniteFallsEnergyMember
/ us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis
= gfe_CornContractsMember
     
Corn Contracts [Member] | Heron Lake Bioenergy [Member]          
Purchase Commitment, Excluding Long-term Commitment [Line Items]          
Inventory, Outside storage   608,000gfe_InventoryOutsideStorage
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= gfe_HeronLakeBioenergyMember
/ us-gaap_ProductOrServiceAxis
= gfe_CornContractsMember