Segment Information (Summary Of Financial Data) (Details) - USD ($)					3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
		Mar. 22, 2021	Dec. 28, 2020	Sep. 01, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues							$ 2,827,168,000	$ 1,923,719,000	$ 2,417,238,000
Cost of goods sold							2,625,109,000	1,812,163,000	2,384,947,000
Operating income (loss)							25,508,000	(122,696,000)	(142,570,000)
Depreciation and amortization							91,952,000	78,244,000	72,127,000
Capital expenditures							187,271,000	111,799,000	76,472,000
Gain (loss) on disposal of assets					$ 2,000,000.0	$ 2,000,000.0	29,601,000	(20,860,000)
Goodwill impairment								24,091,000
Hereford Ethanol Plant [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on disposal of assets			$ 22,400,000
Green Plains Cattle Company LLC [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on disposal of assets				$ 0			(2,900,000)
Ord Ethanol Plant [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on disposal of assets		$ 35,900,000					29,600,000
Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues							2,923,304,000	2,029,797,000	2,520,053,000
Intersegment Eliminations [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues							(96,136,000)	(106,078,000)	(102,815,000)
Cost of goods sold							(95,549,000)	(104,579,000)	(103,904,000)
Operating income (loss)							(587,000)	(1,400,000)	1,188,000
Ethanol Production [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues							2,153,368,000	1,502,581,000	1,700,715,000
Goodwill impairment								24,091,000
Ethanol Production [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues							2,153,368,000	1,502,481,000	1,700,615,000
Cost of goods sold							2,063,283,000	1,507,335,000	1,791,099,000
Operating income (loss)	[1]						(27,996,000)	(129,618,000)	(178,575,000)
Depreciation and amortization							82,969,000	67,956,000	63,073,000
Capital expenditures							181,731,000	109,970,000	72,374,000
Gain (loss) on disposal of assets								(3,900,000)
Goodwill impairment								24,100,000
Ethanol Production [Member] | Intersegment Eliminations [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues								(100,000)	(100,000)
Agribusiness and Energy Services [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues							691,484,000	443,871,000	736,951,000
Agribusiness and Energy Services [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues							669,526,000	416,403,000	709,767,000
Cost of goods sold							657,375,000	409,407,000	697,752,000
Operating income (loss)							17,458,000	15,773,000	22,701,000
Depreciation and amortization							2,535,000	2,512,000	2,222,000
Capital expenditures							2,896,000	1,195,000	2,251,000
Agribusiness and Energy Services [Member] | Intersegment Eliminations [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues							(21,958,000)	(27,468,000)	(27,184,000)
Partnership [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues							78,452,000	83,345,000	82,387,000
Goodwill impairment
Partnership [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues							4,274,000	4,835,000	6,856,000
Operating income (loss)							48,672,000	50,437,000	50,635,000
Depreciation and amortization							3,737,000	3,806,000	3,441,000
Capital expenditures							668,000	162,000	305,000
Partnership [Member] | Intersegment Eliminations [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues							(74,178,000)	(78,510,000)	(75,531,000)
Corporate Activities [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating income (loss)	[2]						(12,039,000)	(57,888,000)	(38,519,000)
Depreciation and amortization							2,711,000	3,970,000	3,391,000
Capital expenditures							$ 1,976,000	472,000	$ 1,542,000
Corporate Activities [Member] | Hereford Ethanol Plant [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on disposal of assets			$ 18,500,000					(18,500,000)
Corporate Activities [Member] | Green Plains Cattle Company LLC [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on disposal of assets								$ 1,500,000

[1] Operating loss for the ethanol production segment for fiscal year 2020 includes a goodwill impairment charge of $24.1 million and $3.9 million loss on sale of assets from the sale of the Hereford, Texas ethanol plant.

[2] Corporate activities for fiscal year 2021 include a $29.6 million net gain on sale of assets primarily from the sale of the Ord, Nebraska ethanol plant. Corporate activities for fiscal year 2020 include a $18.5 million loss on sale of assets from the sale of the Hereford, Texas ethanol plant and a $1.5 million net gain from sale of GPCC.