Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies (Policy)
6 Months Ended
Jan. 31, 2016
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]  
Accounting estimates
Accounting estimates: The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported period. Actual results could differ from these estimates. Significant estimates impacting the condensed consolidated financial statements include accruals that have been established for contingent liabilities, pending claims and legal actions arising in the normal course of business, useful lives of property, plant and equipment assets, residual values of tanks, capitalization of customer tank installation costs, amortization methods of intangible assets, valuation methods used to value sales returns and allowances, allowance for doubtful accounts, fair value of reporting units, assumptions used to value business combinations, fair values of derivative contracts and stock based compensation calculations.
Goodwill
Goodwill: Ferrellgas records goodwill as the excess of the cost of acquisitions over the fair value of the related net assets at the date of acquisition. Ferrellgas has determined that it has five reporting units for goodwill impairment testing purposes. Three of these reporting units contain goodwill that is subject to at least an annual assessment for impairment by applying a fair-value-based test. Under this test, the carrying value of each reporting unit is determined by assigning the assets and liabilities, including the existing goodwill and intangible assets, to those reporting units as of the date of the evaluation on a specific identification basis. To the extent a reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, an indication exists that the reporting unit’s goodwill may be impaired and the second step of the impairment test must be performed. In the second step, the implied fair value of goodwill is determined by assigning the fair value of a reporting unit to all the assets and liabilities of that unit (including any unrecognized intangible assets) as if the reporting unit had been acquired in a business combination. If the carrying amount of reporting unit goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of that goodwill, an impairment loss is recognized for that excess. We completed our last annual goodwill impairment test on January 31, 2016 and did not incur an impairment loss.
During the three months ended October 31, 2015, Ferrellgas determined that the continued and prolonged decline in the price of crude oil constituted a triggering event for its Midstream operations - water solutions business that required an update to the goodwill impairment assessment as of October 31, 2015. See Note F – Goodwill and intangible assets, net – for further discussion of Ferrellgas' goodwill impairment assessment.
Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Assets held for sale: Assets held for sale represent tractor trucks that have met the criteria of “held for sale” accounting. During the first quarter of fiscal 2016, Ferrellgas committed to a plan to sell certain trucks held by the Midstream operations - crude oil logistics segment. These assets were reclassified from "Vehicles, including transport trailers" to Assets held for sale in the accompanying balance sheet as of October 31, 2015. Ferrellgas ceased depreciation on these assets during October 2015. Assets held for sale are recorded at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell. See Note D – Supplemental financial statement information – for further discussion of these held for sale assets.
New Accounting Pronouncements
New accounting standards:

FASB Accounting Standard Update No. 2014-09
In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, ("FASB") issued Accounting Standard Update ("ASU") 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The issuance is part of a joint effort by the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board ("IASB") to enhance financial reporting by creating common revenue recognition guidance for U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") and, thereby, improving the consistency of requirements, comparability of practices and usefulness of disclosures. The new standard will supersede much of the existing authoritative literature for revenue recognition. The standard and related amendments will be effective for Ferrellgas for its annual reporting period beginning August 1, 2018, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early application is not permitted. Entities are allowed to transition to the new standard by either recasting prior periods or recognizing the cumulative effect. Ferrellgas is currently evaluating the newly issued guidance, including which transition approach will be applied and the estimated impact it will have on the consolidated financial statements.

FASB Accounting Standard Update No. 2015-02
In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-02, Consolidation: Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis, which provides additional guidance on the consolidation of limited partnerships and on the evaluation of variable interest entities. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. Ferrellgas is currently evaluating the impact of our pending adoption of ASU 2015-02 on the consolidated financial statements.

FASB Accounting Standard Update No. 2015-03
In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-03, Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs, which requires that debt issuance costs be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying value of the debt liability. ASU 2015-03 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted, and retrospective application required. Ferrellgas is currently evaluating the impact of our pending adoption of ASU 2015-03 on the consolidated financial statements.

FASB Accounting Standard Update No. 2015-06
In September 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-06, Business Combinations (Topic 805) - Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments, which requires all entities to record the effects on earnings, if any, of changes in provisional amounts for items in a business combination in the same period in which the adjustment amounts are determined. The requirement to retrospectively account for the adjustments is eliminated by this amendment. ASU 2015-06 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted. Ferrellgas is currently evaluating the impact of our pending adoption of ASU 2015-06 on the consolidated financial statements.

FASB Accounting Standard Update No. 2015-11
In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330) - Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory, which requires that inventory within the scope of the guidance be measured at the lower of cost or net realizable value. ASU 2015-11 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. We do not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a material impact on our current accounting policies.

FASB Accounting Standard Update No. 2016-02
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) to increase transparency and comparability
among organizations by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and disclosing key information about leasing arrangements. ASU 2016-02 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Ferrellgas is currently evaluating the impact of its pending adoption of ASU 2016-02 on the consolidated financial statements.

Cash equivalents
Supplemental cash flow information: For purposes of the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows, Ferrellgas considers cash equivalents to include all highly liquid debt instruments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less. Certain cash flow and significant non-cash activities are presented below:
 
For the six months ended January 31,
 
2016
 
2015
CASH PAID FOR:
 
 
 
Interest
$
64,406

 
$
46,440

Income taxes
$
5

 
$
267

NON-CASH INVESTING AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
 
 
 
Liabilities incurred in connection with acquisitions
$
426

 
$
—

Change in accruals for property, plant and equipment additions
$
22,860

 
$
1,216

Ferrellgas, L.P. [Member]  
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]  
Accounting estimates
Accounting estimates: The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported period. Actual results could differ from these estimates. Significant estimates impacting the condensed consolidated financial statements include accruals that have been established for contingent liabilities, pending claims and legal actions arising in the normal course of business, useful lives of property, plant and equipment, residual values of tanks, capitalization of customer tank installation costs, amortization methods of intangible assets, valuation methods used to value sales returns and allowances, valuation methods used to value intangibles and goodwill in business combinations, allowance for doubtful accounts, fair value of reporting units, fair value of derivative contracts, and stock based compensation calculations.
Goodwill
Goodwill: Ferrellgas, L.P. records goodwill as the excess of the cost of acquisitions over the fair value of the related net assets at the date of acquisition. Ferrellgas, L.P. has determined that it has five reporting units for goodwill impairment testing purposes. Three of these reporting units contain goodwill that is subject to at least an annual assessment for impairment by applying a fair-value-based test. Under this test, the carrying value of each reporting unit is determined by assigning the assets and liabilities, including the existing goodwill and intangible assets, to those reporting units as of the date of the evaluation on a specific identification basis. To the extent a reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, an indication exists that the reporting unit’s goodwill may be impaired and the second step of the impairment test must be performed. In the second step, the implied fair value of goodwill is determined by assigning the fair value of a reporting unit to all the assets and liabilities of that unit (including any unrecognized intangible assets) as if the reporting unit had been acquired in a business combination. If the carrying amount of reporting unit goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of that goodwill, an impairment loss is recognized for that excess. We completed our last annual goodwill impairment test on January 31, 2016 and did not incur an impairment loss.
During the three months ended October 31, 2015, Ferrellgas determined that the continued and prolonged decline in the price of crude oil constituted a triggering event for its Midstream operations - water solutions business that required an update to the goodwill impairment assessment as of October 31, 2015. See Note F – Goodwill and intangible assets, net – for further discussion of Ferrellgas, L.P.'s goodwill impairment assessment.
Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Assets held for sale: Assets held for sale represent tractor trucks that have met the criteria of “held for sale” accounting. During the first quarter of fiscal 2016, Ferrellgas, L.P. committed to a plan to sell certain trucks held by the Midstream operations - crude oil logistics segment. These assets were reclassified from "Vehicles, including transport trailers" to Assets held for sale in the accompanying balance sheet as of October 31, 2015. Ferrellgas, L.P. ceased depreciation on these assets during October 2015. Assets held for sale are recorded at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell. See Note D – Supplemental financial statement information – for further discussion of these held for sale assets.
New Accounting Pronouncements
New accounting standards:

FASB Accounting Standard Update No. 2014-09
In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, ("FASB") issued Accounting Standard Update ("ASU") 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The issuance is part of a joint effort by the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board ("IASB") to enhance financial reporting by creating common revenue recognition guidance for U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") and, thereby, improving the consistency of requirements, comparability of practices and usefulness of disclosures. The new standard will supersede much of the existing authoritative literature for revenue recognition. The standard and related amendments will be effective for Ferrellgas for its annual reporting period beginning August 1, 2018, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early application is not permitted. Entities are allowed to transition to the new standard by either recasting prior periods or recognizing the cumulative effect. Ferrellgas is currently evaluating the newly issued guidance, including which transition approach will be applied and the estimated impact it will have on the consolidated financial statements.

FASB Accounting Standard Update No. 2015-02
In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-02, Consolidation: Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis, which provides additional guidance on the consolidation of limited partnerships and on the evaluation of variable interest entities. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. Ferrellgas is currently evaluating the impact of our pending adoption of ASU 2015-02 on the consolidated financial statements.

FASB Accounting Standard Update No. 2015-03
In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-03, Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs, which requires that debt issuance costs be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying value of the debt liability. ASU 2015-03 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted, and retrospective application required. Ferrellgas is currently evaluating the impact of our pending adoption of ASU 2015-03 on the consolidated financial statements.

FASB Accounting Standard Update No. 2015-06
In September 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-06, Business Combinations (Topic 805) - Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments, which requires all entities to record the effects on earnings, if any, of changes in provisional amounts for items in a business combination in the same period in which the adjustment amounts are determined. The requirement to retrospectively account for the adjustments is eliminated by this amendment. ASU 2015-06 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted. Ferrellgas, L.P. is currently evaluating the impact of our pending adoption of ASU 2015-06 on the consolidated financial statements.

FASB Accounting Standard Update No. 2015-11
In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330) - Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory, which requires that inventory within the scope of the guidance be measured at the lower of cost or net realizable value. ASU 2015-11 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. Ferrellgas is currently evaluating the impact of our pending adoption of ASU 2015-11 on the consolidated financial statements. Ferrellgas, L.P. does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a material impact on its current accounting policies.

FASB Accounting Standard Update No. 2016-02
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) to increase transparency and comparability
among organizations by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and disclosing key information about leasing arrangements. ASU 2016-02 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Ferrellgas, L.P. is currently evaluating the impact of our pending adoption of ASU 2016-02 on the consolidated financial statements.
Cash equivalents
Supplemental cash flow information: For purposes of the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows, Ferrellgas, L.P. considers cash equivalents to include all highly liquid debt instruments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less. Certain cash flow and significant non-cash activities are presented below:
 
For the six months ended January 31,
 
2016
 
2015
CASH PAID FOR:
 
 
 
Interest
$
56,558

 
$
38,591

Income taxes
$
—

 
$
262

NON-CASH INVESTING AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
 
 
 
Liabilities incurred in connection with acquisitions
$
426

 
$
—

Change in accruals for property, plant and equipment additions
$
22,860

 
$
1,216