Basis Of Presentation And Description Of Business (Policy)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Basis Of Presentation And Description Of Business [Abstract]
Consolidated Financial Statements	Consolidated Financial Statements The consolidated financial statements include the company’s accounts and all significant intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated. As of December 31, 2019, the company owns a 49.0% limited partner interest and a 2.0% general partner interest in Green Plains Partners LP. Public investors own the remaining 49.0% limited partner interest in the partnership. The company determined that the limited partners in the partnership with equity at risk lack the power, through voting rights or similar rights, to direct the activities that most significantly impact partnership’s economic performance; therefore, the partnership is considered a variable interest entity. The company, through its ownership of the general partner interest in the partnership, has the power to direct the activities that most significantly affect economic performance and is obligated to absorb losses and has the right to receive benefits that could be significant to the partnership. Therefore, the company is considered the primary beneficiary and consolidates the partnership in the company’s financial statements. The assets of the partnership cannot be used by the company for general corporate purposes. The partnership’s consolidated total assets as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, excluding intercompany balances, are $90.0 million and $67.3 million, respectively, and primarily consist of property and equipment, operating lease right-of-use assets and goodwill. The partnership’s consolidated total liabilities as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, excluding intercompany balances, are $180.9 million and $152.9 million, respectively, which primarily consist of long-term debt as discussed in Note 12 – Debt and operating lease liabilities. The liabilities recognized as a result of consolidating the partnership do not represent additional claims on our general assets. On September 1, 2019, the company, TGAM Agribusiness Fund Holdings-B LP (“TGAM”) and StepStone Atlantic Fund, L.P. (“StepStone”) formed a joint venture and entered into the Second Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement (the “LLC Agreement”) of Green Plains Cattle. GPCC was previously a wholly owned subsidiary of Green Plains. Green Plains also entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with TGAM and StepStone, whereby TGAM and StepStone purchased an aggregate of 50% of the membership interests of GPCC from Green Plains. After closing, GPCC is no longer consolidated in the company’s consolidated financial statements and the GPCC investment is accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Under this method, the investment is recorded at the acquisition cost plus the company’s share of equity in undistributed earnings or losses since acquisition and the company’s share of equity method investees other comprehensive income arising during the period, reduced by distributions received and the amortization of excess net investment. The company recognizes this investment on a separate line item in the consolidated balance sheet and recognizes its proportionate share of earnings on a separate line item in the consolidated statement of operations. The company does not consolidate any part of the assets or liabilities or operating results of its equity method investees. Additionally, the company concluded that the disposition of GPCC met the requirements under ASC 205-20 Presentation of Financial Statements – Discontinued Operations (“ASC 205-20”) to be presented as discontinued operations. As such, GPCC results prior to its disposition are classified as discontinued operations in current and prior period consolidated financial statements. See Note 5 - Acquisitions, Dispositions and Discontinued Operations for further details. The company also owns a 90.0% interest in BioProcess Algae, a joint venture formed in 2008, and consolidates their results in its consolidated financial statements.
Reclassifications	Reclassifications Certain prior year amounts were reclassified to conform to the current year presentation, including the discontinued operations of GPCC. These reclassifications affected certain balance sheet line items, total revenues, costs and expenses.
Use Of Estimates In The Preparation Of Consolidated Financial Statements	Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The company bases its estimates on historical experience and assumptions it believes are proper and reasonable under the circumstances and regularly evaluates the appropriateness of its estimates and assumptions. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Key accounting policies, including but not limited to those relating to revenue recognition, depreciation of property and equipment, carrying value of intangible assets, operating leases, impairment of long-lived assets and goodwill, derivative financial instruments, accounting for income taxes and assets acquired and liabilities assumed in acquisitions, are impacted significantly by judgments, assumptions and estimates used in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements.
Description Of Business	Description of Business The company operates within four business segments: (1) ethanol production, which includes the production of ethanol, distillers grains and corn oil, (2) agribusiness and energy services, which includes grain handling and storage, commodity marketing and merchant trading for company-produced and third-party ethanol, distillers grains, corn oil, natural gas and other commodities, (3) food and ingredients, which includes food-grade corn oil and included vinegar production until the sale of Fleischmann’s Vinegar during the fourth quarter of 2018 and (4) partnership, which includes fuel storage and transportation services.

Basis Of Presentation And Description Of Business (Policy)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Basis Of Presentation And Description Of Business [Abstract]

The consolidated financial statements include the company’s accounts and all significant intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated. As of December 31, 2019, the company owns a 49.0% limited partner interest and a 2.0% general partner interest in Green Plains Partners LP. Public investors own the remaining 49.0% limited partner interest in the partnership. The company determined that the limited partners in the partnership with equity at risk lack the power, through voting rights or similar rights, to direct the activities that most significantly impact partnership’s economic performance; therefore, the partnership is considered a variable interest entity. The company, through its ownership of the general partner interest in the partnership, has the power to direct the activities that most significantly affect economic performance and is obligated to absorb losses and has the right to receive benefits that could be significant to the partnership. Therefore, the company is considered the primary beneficiary and consolidates the partnership in the company’s financial statements. The assets of the partnership cannot be used by the company for general corporate purposes. The partnership’s consolidated total assets as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, excluding intercompany balances, are $90.0 million and $67.3 million, respectively, and primarily consist of property and equipment, operating lease right-of-use assets and goodwill. The partnership’s consolidated total liabilities as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, excluding intercompany balances, are $180.9 million and $152.9 million, respectively, which primarily consist of long-term debt as discussed in Note 12 – Debt and operating lease liabilities. The liabilities recognized as a result of consolidating the partnership do not represent additional claims on our general assets.

On September 1, 2019, the company, TGAM Agribusiness Fund Holdings-B LP (“TGAM”) and StepStone Atlantic Fund, L.P. (“StepStone”) formed a joint venture and entered into the Second Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement (the “LLC Agreement”) of Green Plains Cattle. GPCC was previously a wholly owned subsidiary of Green Plains. Green Plains also entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with TGAM and StepStone, whereby TGAM and StepStone purchased an aggregate of 50% of the membership interests of GPCC from Green Plains. After closing, GPCC is no longer consolidated in the company’s consolidated financial statements and the GPCC investment is accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Under this method, the investment is recorded at the acquisition cost plus the company’s share of equity in undistributed earnings or losses since acquisition and the company’s share of equity method investees other comprehensive income arising during the period, reduced by distributions received and the amortization of excess net investment. The company recognizes this investment on a separate line item in the consolidated balance sheet and recognizes its proportionate share of earnings on a separate line item in the consolidated statement of operations. The company does not consolidate any part of the assets or liabilities or operating results of its equity method investees. Additionally, the company concluded that the disposition of GPCC met the requirements under ASC 205-20 Presentation of Financial Statements – Discontinued Operations (“ASC 205-20”) to be presented as discontinued operations. As such, GPCC results prior to its disposition are classified as discontinued operations in current and prior period consolidated financial statements. See Note 5 - Acquisitions, Dispositions and Discontinued Operations for further details.

The company also owns a 90.0% interest in BioProcess Algae, a joint venture formed in 2008, and consolidates their results in its consolidated financial statements.

Reclassifications

Certain prior year amounts were reclassified to conform to the current year presentation, including the discontinued operations of GPCC. These reclassifications affected certain balance sheet line items, total revenues, costs and expenses.

Use Of Estimates In The Preparation Of Consolidated Financial Statements

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the

reporting period. The company bases its estimates on historical experience and assumptions it believes are proper and reasonable under the circumstances and regularly evaluates the appropriateness of its estimates and assumptions. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Key accounting policies, including but not limited to those relating to revenue recognition, depreciation of property and equipment, carrying value of intangible assets, operating leases, impairment of long-lived assets and goodwill, derivative financial instruments, accounting for income taxes and assets acquired and liabilities assumed in acquisitions, are impacted significantly by judgments, assumptions and estimates used in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements.

Description Of Business

Description of Business

The company operates within four business segments: (1) ethanol production, which includes the production of ethanol, distillers grains and corn oil, (2) agribusiness and energy services, which includes grain handling and storage, commodity marketing and merchant trading for company-produced and third-party ethanol, distillers grains, corn oil, natural gas and other commodities, (3) food and ingredients, which includes food-grade corn oil and included vinegar production until the sale of Fleischmann’s Vinegar during the fourth quarter of 2018 and (4) partnership, which includes fuel storage and transportation services.