Lindsay (LNN) 10-K 31 Oct 19 2019 FY Annual report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Oct. 24, 2019	Feb. 28, 2019
Cover [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Aug. 31, 2019
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2019
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	LNN
Entity Registrant Name	LINDSAY CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000836157
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--08-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity File Number	1-13419
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Tax Identification Number	47-0554096
Entity Address, Address Line One	18135 Burke Street
Entity Address, Address Line Two	Suite 100
Entity Address, City or Town	Omaha
Entity Address, State or Province	NE
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	68022
City Area Code	402
Local Phone Number	829-6800
Document Annual Report	true
Document Transition Report	false
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock, $1.00 par value
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Entity Public Float			$ 936,720,708
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		10,786,339

Consolidated Statements of Earn

Consolidated Statements of Earnings - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Income Statement [Abstract]
Operating revenues	$ 444,072	$ 547,705	$ 517,985
Cost of operating revenues	329,464	396,243	372,973
Gross profit	114,608	151,462	145,012
Operating expenses:
Selling expense	30,820	40,885	40,705
General and administrative expense	63,737	55,533	46,511
Engineering and research expense	13,936	16,032	17,147
Total operating expenses	108,493	112,450	104,363
Operating income	6,115	39,012	40,649
Other income (expense):
Interest expense	(4,767)	(4,687)	(4,757)
Interest income	2,402	1,640	1,178
Other expense, net	(1,643)	(2,112)	(1,355)
Earnings before income taxes	2,107	33,853	35,715
Income tax (benefit) expense	(65)	13,576	12,536
Net earnings	$ 2,172	$ 20,277	$ 23,179
Earnings per share:
Basic	$ 0.20	$ 1.89	$ 2.17
Diluted	$ 0.20	$ 1.88	$ 2.17
Shares used in computing earnings per share:
Basic	10,781	10,741	10,666
Diluted	10,810	10,772	10,694
Cash dividends declared per share	$ 1.24	$ 1.21	$ 1.17

Consolidated Statements of Comp

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net earnings	$ 2,172	$ 20,277	$ 23,179
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Defined benefit pension plan adjustment, net of tax	(192)	251	331
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of hedging activities and tax	(1,042)	(6,231)	1,733
Total other comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax expense (benefit) of $467, $267, and ($582)	(1,234)	(5,980)	2,064
Total comprehensive income	$ 938	$ 14,297	$ 25,243

Consolidated Statements of Co_2

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Other comprehensive income, tax expense (benefit)	$ 467	$ 267	$ (582)

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 127,204	$ 160,787
Receivables, net of allowance of $2,635 and $3,585, respectively	75,551	69,107
Inventories, net	92,287	79,233
Assets held-for-sale	2,744	10,837
Other current assets	15,704	11,087
Total current assets	313,490	331,051
Property, plant, and equipment, net	68,968	57,248
Intangible assets, net	24,382	27,376
Goodwill	64,387	64,671
Deferred income tax assets	11,758	6,645
Other noncurrent assets	17,329	12,824
Total assets	500,314	499,815
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	29,434	30,530
Current portion of long-term debt	209	205
Liabilities held-for-sale	0	2,424
Other current liabilities	52,488	46,935
Total current liabilities	82,131	80,094
Pension benefits liabilities	6,029	5,874
Long-term debt	115,846	116,129
Deferred income tax liabilities	872	1,083
Other noncurrent liabilities	27,227	19,769
Total liabilities	232,105	222,949
Shareholders' equity:
Preferred stock of $1 par value - authorized 2,000 shares; no shares issued and outstanding	0	0
Common stock at $1 par value - authorized 25,000 shares; 18,870 and 18,841 shares issued at August 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively	18,870	18,841
Capital in excess of stated value	71,684	68,465
Retained earnings	474,740	484,886
Less treasury stock - at cost, 8,083 shares	(277,238)	(277,238)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net	(19,847)	(18,088)
Total shareholders' equity	268,209	276,866
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	$ 500,314	$ 499,815

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Statement Of Financial Position [Abstract]
Receivables, allowance	$ 2,635	$ 3,585
Preferred stock, par value	$ 1	$ 1
Preferred stock, authorized	2,000,000	2,000,000
Preferred stock, issued	0	0
Preferred stock, outstanding	0	0
Common stock, par value	$ 1	$ 1
Common stock, authorized	25,000,000	25,000,000
Common stock, issued	18,870,000	18,841,000
Treasury stock, shares	8,083,000	8,083,000

Consolidated Statements of Shar

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	Total	Common Stock [Member]	Treasury Stock [Member]	Capital In Excess Of Stated Value [Member]	Retained Earnings [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income, Net [Member]
Beginning balance, value at Aug. 31, 2016	$ 251,567	$ 18,713	$ (277,238)	$ 57,338	$ 466,926	$ (14,172)
Beginning balance, shares at Aug. 31, 2016		18,713	8,083
Net earnings	23,179	$ 0	$ 0	0	23,179	0
Other comprehensive (loss) income	2,064	0	0	0	0	2,064
Total comprehensive income	25,243	0	0	0	0	0
Cash dividends per share	(12,490)	0	0	0	(12,490)	0
Issuance of common shares under share compensation plans, value	2,385	$ 67	0	2,318	0	0
Issuance of common shares under share compensation plans, shares		67
Share-based compensation expense	3,350	$ 0	0	3,350	0	0
Ending balance, value at Aug. 31, 2017	270,055	$ 18,780	$ (277,238)	63,006	477,615	(12,108)
Ending Balance, shares at Aug. 31, 2017		18,780	8,083
Net earnings	20,277	$ 0	$ 0	0	20,277	0
Other comprehensive (loss) income	(5,980)	0	0	0	0	(5,980)
Total comprehensive income	14,297	0	0	0	0	0
Cash dividends per share	(13,006)	0	0	0	(13,006)	0
Issuance of common shares under share compensation plans, value	1,955	$ 61	0	1,894	0	0
Issuance of common shares under share compensation plans, shares		61
Share-based compensation expense	3,565	$ 0	0	3,565	0	0
Ending balance, value at Aug. 31, 2018	276,866	$ 18,841	$ (277,238)	68,465	484,886	(18,088)
Ending Balance, shares at Aug. 31, 2018		18,841	8,083
Net earnings	2,172	$ 0	$ 0	0	2,172	0
Other comprehensive (loss) income	(1,234)	0	0	0	0	(1,234)
Total comprehensive income	938	0	0	0	0	0
Cash dividends per share	(13,375)	0	0	0	(13,375)	0
Issuance of common shares under share compensation plans, value	(947)	$ 29	0	(976)	0	0
Issuance of common shares under share compensation plans, shares		29
Share-based compensation expense	4,195	$ 0	0	4,195	0	0
Cumulative impact of ASC/ASU adoption | ASC 606 [Member]	532	0	0	0	532	0
Cumulative impact of ASC/ASU adoption | ASU 2018-02 [Member]	0	0	0	0	525	(525)
Ending balance, value at Aug. 31, 2019	$ 268,209	$ 18,870	$ (277,238)	$ 71,684	$ 474,740	$ (19,847)
Ending Balance, shares at Aug. 31, 2019		18,870	8,083

Consolidated Statements of Sh_2

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Statement Of Stockholders Equity [Abstract]
Cash dividends per share	$ 1.24	$ 1.21	$ 1.17

Consolidated Statements of Cash

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net earnings	$ 2,172	$ 20,277	$ 23,179
Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	14,018	16,514	16,678
Loss on sale of businesses	301	4,056
Provision for uncollectible accounts receivable	(496)	(2,587)	(574)
Deferred income taxes	(5,686)	(50)	(903)
Share-based compensation expense	4,195	3,891	3,598
Valuation adjustment for indirect tax credits	2,795
Other, net	981	2,903	626
Changes in assets and liabilities:
Receivables	(7,969)	(3,714)	7,959
Inventories	(16,187)	(8,173)	(10,092)
Other current assets	173	(1,150)	4,581
Accounts payable	2,119	159	4,076
Other current liabilities	2,629	3,671	(3,821)
Other noncurrent assets and liabilities	4,752	(1,863)	(5,858)
Net cash provided by operating activities	3,797	33,934	39,449
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Purchases of property, plant, and equipment	(23,211)	(11,054)	(8,863)
Proceeds from sale of businesses		29,888
Proceeds from settlement of net investment hedges	2,262	2,278	2,117
Payments for settlement of net investment hedges	(327)	(3,089)	(3,466)
Other investing activities, net	57	82	233
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	(21,219)	18,105	(9,979)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	177	2,788	3,020
Common stock withheld for payroll tax obligations	(1,124)	(833)	(635)
Principal payments on long-term debt	(205)	(201)	(197)
Payment of debt issuance costs	(115)
Dividends paid	(13,375)	(13,006)	(12,490)
Net cash used in financing activities	(14,642)	(11,252)	(10,302)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(1,519)	(1,620)	1,206
Net change in cash and cash equivalents	(33,583)	39,167	20,374
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period	160,787	121,620	101,246
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period	127,204	160,787	121,620
SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION
Income taxes paid	7,887	11,184	16,214
Interest paid	4,671	$ 4,626	$ 4,696
NONCASH INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Issuance of note receivable from sale of business	$ 5,589

Description of Business and Sig

Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies	Note 1 – Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies Lindsay Corporation, along with its subsidiaries (collectively called “Lindsay” or the “Company”), is a global leader in providing a variety of proprietary water management and road infrastructure products and services. The Company has been involved in the manufacture and distribution of agricultural irrigation equipment since 1955 and has grown from a regional company to an international water efficiency solutions and highway infrastructure firm with worldwide sales and distribution. Lindsay, a Delaware corporation, maintains its global headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. The Company has operations which are categorized into two major reporting segments. Irrigation Segment The Company’s irrigation segment includes the manufacture and marketing of center pivot, lateral move, and hose reel irrigation systems which are used principally in the agricultural industry to increase or stabilize crop production while conserving water, energy and labor Infrastructure Segment The Company’s infrastructure segment includes the manufacture and marketing of moveable barriers, specialty barriers, crash cushions and end terminals, road marking and road safety equipment, large diameter steel tubing, and railroad signals and structures. The infrastructure segment also provides outsourced manufacturing and production services. The principal infrastructure manufacturing facilities are located in Rio Vista, California; Milan, Italy; and Lindsay, Nebraska. Notes to the consolidated financial statements describe various elements of the financial statements and the accounting policies, estimates, and assumptions applied by management. While actual results could differ from those estimated at the time of preparation of the consolidated financial statements, management believes that the accounting policies, assumptions, and estimates applied promote the representational faithfulness, verifiability, neutrality, and transparency of the accounting information included in the consolidated financial statements. The significant accounting policies of the Company are as follows: Principles of Consolidation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated in consolidation. Reclassifications Certain reclassifications have been made to prior financial statements to conform to the current-year presentation. Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Revenue Recognition The Company adopted ASC 606 – Revenue from Contracts with Customers Share-Based Compensation The Company recognizes compensation expense for all share-based payment awards made to employees and directors based on estimated fair values on the date of grant. The Company uses the straight-line amortization method over the vesting period of the awards. The Company has historically issued shares upon exercise of stock options or vesting of restricted stock units or performance stock units. The value of the portion of the award that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as expense in the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations over the periods during which the employee or director is required to perform a service in exchange for the award. The Company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model (“Black-Scholes model”) as its valuation method for stock option awards. Under the Black-Scholes model, the fair value of stock option awards on the date of grant is estimated using an option-pricing model that is affected by the Company’s stock price as well as assumptions regarding a number of highly complex and subjective variables. These variables include, but are not limited to, the Company’s expected stock price volatility over the term of the awards and actual and projected employee stock option exercise behaviors. Restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares and performance stock units issued under the 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan will have a grant-date fair value equal to the fair market value of the underlying stock on the grant date less present value of expected dividends. Warranty Costs The Company’s provision for product warranty reflects management’s best estimate of probable liability under its product warranties. At the time a sale is recognized, the company records the estimated future warranty costs. The Company generally determines its total future warranty liability by applying historical claims rate experience to the amount of equipment that has been sold and is still within the warranty period. In addition, the Company records provisions for known warranty claims. This provision is periodically adjusted to reflect actual experience. Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash equivalents consist of highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less. Receivables and Allowances Trade receivables are reported on the balance sheet net of any doubtful accounts. Losses are recognized when it is probable that an asset has been impaired and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. In estimating probable losses, the Company reviews specific accounts that are significant and past due, in bankruptcy or otherwise identified as at risk for potential credit loss. Collectability of these specific accounts are assessed based on facts and circumstances of that customer, and an allowance for credit losses is established based on the probability of default. In assessing the likelihood of collection of receivable, the Company considers (for example) the Company’s history of collections, the current status of discussions and repayment plans, collateral received, and other evidence and information regarding collection or default risk that is available in the market place. The allowance for credit losses attributable to the remaining accounts is established using probabilities of default and an estimate of associated losses based upon the aging of receivable balances, collection experience, economic condition and credit risk quality. As the Company’s international business has grown, the exposure to potential losses in international markets has also increased. These exposures can be difficult to estimate, particularly in areas of political instability or with governments with which the Company has limited experience or where there is a lack of transparency as to the current credit condition of governmental units. The Company’s allowance for all doubtful accounts related to outstanding receivables decreased to $2.6 million at August 31, 2019 from $3.6 million at August 31, 2018. The Company’s evaluation of the adequacy of the allowance for credit losses is based on facts and circumstances available to the Company at the date the consolidated financial statements are issued and considers any significant changes in circumstances occurring through the date that the financial statements are issued. Inventories Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Cost is determined by the last‑in, first‑out (“LIFO”) method, the first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) method, or the weighted average cost method for inventory depending on the operations at each specific location. At all locations, the Company reserves for obsolete, slow moving, and excess inventory by estimating the net realizable value based on the potential future use of such inventory. Property, Plant, and Equipment Property, plant, equipment, and capitalized assets held for lease are stated at cost. The Company capitalizes major expenditures and charges to operating expenses the cost of current maintenance and repairs. Provisions for depreciation and amortization have been computed principally on the straight-line method for property, plant, and equipment. Rates used for depreciation are based principally on the following expected lives: buildings ‑‑ 15 to 40 years; equipment ‑‑ 3 to 7 years; computer hardware and software – 3 to 5 years; leased barrier transfer machines -- 8 to 10 years; leased barriers -- 12 years; other ‑‑ 2 to 20 years and leasehold improvements – shorter of the economic life or term of the lease. The Company’s internally developed software is included in computer hardware and software. All of the Company’s long‑lived asset groups are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. If the sum of the expected future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset group, an impairment loss is recognized based upon the difference between the fair value of the asset and its carrying value. No impairments were recorded during the fiscal years ended August 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017. The cost and accumulated depreciation relating to assets retired or otherwise disposed of are eliminated from the respective accounts at the time of disposition. The resulting gain or loss is included in operating income in the consolidated statements of earnings. Valuation of Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of net assets acquired in a business combination. Acquired intangible assets are recognized separately from goodwill. Goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives are tested for impairment at least annually at August 31 and whenever triggering events or changes in circumstances indicate its carrying value may not be recoverable. Assessment of the potential impairment of goodwill and identifiable intangible assets is an integral part of the Company’s normal ongoing review of operations. Testing for potential impairment of these assets is significantly dependent on numerous assumptions and reflects management’s best estimates at a particular point in time. The dynamic economic environments in which the Company’s businesses operate and key economic and business assumptions related to projected selling prices, market growth, inflation rates and operating expense ratios, can significantly affect the outcome of impairment tests. Estimates based on these assumptions may differ significantly from actual results. Changes in factors and assumptions used in assessing potential impairments can have a significant impact on the existence and magnitude of impairments, as well as the time in which such impairments are recognized. In fiscal 2019, in conjunction with the Company’s annual review for impairment, the Company performed a qualitative analysis of goodwill for each of the Company’s reporting units, which are the same as its operating segments, and did not identify any potential impairment. Also in fiscal 2019, the Company performed a qualitative analysis of other intangible assets not subject to amortization and concluded there were no indicators of impairment. Income Taxes Income taxes are accounted for utilizing the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying value of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. These expected future tax consequences are measured based on currently enacted tax rates. The effect of tax rate changes on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income during the period that includes the enactment date. In assessing the ability to realize deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. The Company’s evaluation of the adequacy of any potential allowance is based on facts and circumstances available to the Company at the date the consolidated financial statements are issued and considers any significant changes in circumstances occurring through the date that the financial statements are issued. Net Earnings per Share Basic net earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding plus dilutive potential common shares outstanding during the period. Employee stock options, non-vested shares and similar equity instruments granted by the Company are treated as potential common share equivalents outstanding in computing diluted net earnings per share. The Company’s diluted common shares outstanding reported in each period includes the dilutive effect of restricted stock units, in-the-money options, and performance stock units for which threshold performance conditions have been satisfied and is calculated based on the average share price for each fiscal period using the treasury stock method. Under the treasury stock method, the amount the employee must pay for exercising stock options, and the amount of compensation cost for future service that the Company has not yet recognized, are assumed to be used to repurchase shares. Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities The Company uses certain financial derivatives to mitigate its exposure to volatility in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates. All derivative instruments are recorded on the balance sheet at their respective fair values. The Company uses these derivative instruments only to hedge exposures in the ordinary course of business and does not invest in derivative instruments for speculative purposes. On the date a derivative contract is entered into, the Company may elect to designate the derivative as a fair value hedge, a cash flow hedge, or the hedge of a net investment in a foreign operation. The Company also formally assesses, both at the hedge’s inception and on an ongoing basis, whether the derivative that is used in the hedging transaction is effective. For those instruments that are designated as a cash flow hedge and meet certain documentary and analytical requirements to qualify for hedge accounting treatment, changes in the fair value for the effective portion are reported in other comprehensive income (“OCI”), net of related income tax effects, and are reclassified to the income statement when the effects of the item being hedged are recognized in the income statement. Changes in fair value of derivative instruments that qualify as hedges of a net investment in foreign operations are recorded as a component of accumulated currency translation adjustment in accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”), net of related income tax effects. Changes in the fair value of undesignated hedges are recognized currently in earnings. All changes in derivative fair values due to ineffectiveness are recognized currently in income. The Company discontinues hedge accounting prospectively when it is determined that the derivative is no longer effective in offsetting changes in the cash flows of the hedged item, the derivative expires or is sold, terminated, or exercised, or management determines that designation of the derivative as a hedging instrument is no longer appropriate. In situations in which the Company does not elect hedge accounting or hedge accounting is discontinued and the derivative is retained, the Company carries or continues to carry the derivative at its fair value on the balance sheet and recognizes any subsequent changes in its fair value through earnings. The Company manages market and credit risks associated with its derivative instruments by establishing and monitoring limits as to the types and degree of risk that may be undertaken, and by entering into transactions with high-quality counterparties. As of August 31, 2019, the Company’s derivative counterparty had investment grade credit ratings. Fair Value Measurements The Company’s disclosure of the fair value of assets and liabilities is based on a three-level hierarchy for fair value measurements based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability as of the measurement date. Inputs refers broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, including assumptions about risk. The categorization within the valuation hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value will be classified and disclosed in one of the following three categories: • Level 1 – inputs to valuation techniques are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities • Level 2 – inputs to the valuation techniques are other than quoted prices but are observable for the assets or liabilities, either directly or indirectly • Level 3 – inputs to the valuation techniques are unobservable for the assets or liabilities Treasury Stock When the Company repurchases its outstanding stock, it records the repurchased shares at cost as a reduction to shareholders’ equity. The weighted average cost method is utilized for share re-issuances. The difference between the cost and the re-issuance price is charged or credited to a “capital in excess of stated value – treasury stock” account to the extent that there is a sufficient balance to absorb the charge. If the treasury stock is sold for an amount less than its cost and there is not a sufficient balance in the capital in excess of stated value – treasury stock account, the excess is charged to retained earnings. Contingencies The Company’s accounting for contingencies covers a variety of business activities including contingencies for legal exposures and environmental exposures. The Company accrues these contingencies when its assessments indicate that it is probable that a liability has been incurred and an amount can be reasonably estimated. The Company’s estimates are based on currently available facts and its estimates of the ultimate outcome or resolution. Actual results may differ from the Company’s estimates resulting in an impact, positive or negative, on earnings. Environmental Remediation Liabilities Environmental remediation liabilities include costs directly associated with site investigation and clean up, such as materials, external contractor costs and incremental internal costs directly related to the remedy. The Company accrues the anticipated cost of environmental remediation when the obligation is probable and can be reasonably estimated. Estimates used to record environmental remediation liabilities are based on the Company’s best estimate of probable future costs based on site-specific facts and circumstances. The Company records the undiscounted environmental remediation liabilities that represent the points in the range of estimates that are most probable or the minimum amount when no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other amount. Translation of Foreign Currency The Company’s portion of the assets and liabilities related to foreign investments are translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date. Revenue and expenses are translated at the average rates of exchange prevailing during the year. Unrealized gains or losses are reflected within common shareholders’ equity as accumulated other comprehensive income or loss.

New Accounting Pronouncements

New Accounting Pronouncements	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
New Accounting Pronouncements And Changes In Accounting Principles [Abstract]
New Accounting Pronouncements	Note 2 – New Accounting Pronouncements Recent Accounting Guidance Not Yet Adopted In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases The Company has completed its implementation efforts, which included various procedures performed to identify the Company’s portfolio of lease agreements, implementation of a new leasing software to meet the reporting and disclosure requirements of the standard, and an evaluation of its lease related processes and internal controls. The Company will record a right of use asset and lease liability of approximately $25.6 million and $29.4 million, respectively, upon adoption of the standard on the first day of fiscal 2020. Implementation of ASC 842 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations or cash flows for its lessee transactions. The Company’s Infrastructure segment generates revenue from transactions in which it is the lessor. Adoption of the ASC 842 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets, statements of operations or cash flows for its lessor transactions. In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326), Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-12, Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities Recent Accounting Guidance Adopted In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The Company adopted the new standard using the modified retrospective approach effective the first day of fiscal 2019. As a result of the adoption, the Company increased retained earnings, $0.5 million, net of tax. This change relates primarily to custom and contract manufacturing arrangements for certain of the Company’s irrigation and infrastructure equipment products at various stages of production at August 31, 2018 in addition to contracts with multiple performance obligations for which control of the relevant performance obligation had been satisfied. Results for reporting periods beginning September 1, 2018 are presented in accordance with ASC Topic 606, while prior period amounts are not adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with the previously applied revenue recognition guidance. In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-07, Presentation of Net Periodic Benefit Cost Related to Defined Benefit Plans In December 2017, the SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 (“SAB 118”), Income Tax Accounting Implications of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Income Taxes In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-02, Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Revenue From Contract With Customer [Abstract]
Revenue Recognition	Note 3 – Revenue Recognition The cumulative effect of initially applying the new revenue standard under ASC Topic 606 was recorded as an adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings, which impacted the condensed consolidated balance sheet as follows: ($ in thousands) August 31, 2018 ASC Topic 606 Adjustments September 1, 2018 Assets Inventories, net $ 79,233 $ (942 ) $ 78,291 Other current assets 11,087 1,651 12,738 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity Other current liabilities $ 46,935 $ 14 $ 46,949 Deferred income tax liabilities 1,083 163 1,246 Retained earnings 484,886 532 485,418 The adoption of ASC Topic 606 had the following impact on the consolidated balance sheet as of August 31, 2019 and consolidated statement of earnings for the year ended August 31, 2019: ($ in thousands) As Reported Adjustments Balance without adoption of ASC Topic 606 Assets Inventories, net $ 92,287 $ 3,729 $ 96,016 Other current assets 15,704 (1,170 ) 14,534 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity Other current liabilities $ 52,488 $ 5,711 $ 58,199 Retained earnings 474,740 (3,153 ) 471,587 ($ in thousands) As Reported Adjustments Balance without adoption of ASC Topic 606 Statement of Earnings Operating revenues $ 444,072 $ (6,359 ) $ 437,713 Operating income 6,115 (3,410 ) 2,705 The Company determines the appropriate revenue recognition for its contracts by analyzing the type, terms and conditions of each contract or arrangement with a customer. Revenue is recognized when the Company satisfies the performance obligation by transferring control over goods or services to a customer. The amount of revenue recognized is measured as the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services pursuant to a contract with the customer. The Company does not recognize revenue in cases where collectability is not probable, and defers the recognition until collection is probable or payment is received. Sales taxes, value added taxes, and other taxes collected from its customers concurrent with its revenue activities are excluded from revenue. The Company elected to use the practical expedient of treating shipping and handling costs associated with outbound freight as a fulfillment obligation instead of a separate performance obligation. Shipping and handling fees billed to the customer are reported as revenue and recorded in the same period as the associated fulfillment costs. Customer rebates, cash discounts and other sales incentives are recorded as a reduction of revenues in the period in which the sale is recognized. The Company establishes provisions for estimated warranties and does not generally sell extended warranties for its products. In addition, the Company elected to use the practical expedient of not disclosing the value of unsatisfied performance obligations at the end of the period when the contract has an original expected length of service of one year or less. For contracts with a length longer than twelve months, the unsatisfied performance obligations were $7.0 million at August 31, 2019. Performance Obligations A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct good or service to the customer and is the unit of account. A contract’s transaction price is allocated to each distinct performance obligation and recognized as revenue when, or as, the performance obligation is satisfied. For contracts with multiple performance obligations, the Company allocates the transaction price to each performance obligation using the stand-alone selling price of each distinct good or service in the contract. For most performance obligations, the stand-alone selling price is directly observable as these goods or services are also sold separately by the Company. For performance obligations where the stand-alone selling price is not directly observable, the Company uses the expected cost plus a margin approach, under which the expected costs of satisfying a performance obligation are forecasted and then an appropriate margin for that distinct good or service is added. The Company’s performance obligations are satisfied at either a point in time or over time depending on the measure of progress applied toward the complete satisfaction in the transfer of control of the related goods and services to the customer. Revenue recognized at a point in time is derived from the sale of equipment and related parts. Revenue recognition for equipment and parts is generally at a point in time upon transfer of control of the goods to the customer which generally happens upon shipment of goods to the customer. Revenue recognized over time is primarily derived from engineering services and remote monitoring subscription services as well as custom and contract manufactured products. For engineering services, transfer of control to the customer is continuous over time. Therefore, revenue is recognized based on the extent of progress towards completion of the performance obligation. Judgment is required when selecting the method to measure progress towards completion. For fixed price agreements, the Company recognizes revenue on an inputs basis, using total costs incurred to date as a percentage of total costs expected to be incurred. For time and material arrangements, the Company utilizes an output method of resources consumed such as the expended hours times the hourly billing rate. For remote monitoring subscription services, customers are generally billed in advance and revenue is recognized ratably over the life of the agreement. For custom and contract manufactured products, the transfer of control is continuous over the life of the agreement and products do not have an alternate use to the Company. When the customer agreements contain contractual termination clauses and right to payment for work performed to date, the revenue from these agreements is recognized over time as the products are produced. The Company also leases certain infrastructure property to customers. Revenues from the leasing of infrastructure property are recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. A breakout by segment of revenue recognized over time versus point in time for twelve months ended August 31, 2019 is as follows: Year ended August 31, 2019 ($ in thousands) Irrigation Infrastructure Total Point in time $ 318,544 $ 78,768 $ 397,312 Over time 32,954 6,054 39,008 Revenue from the contracts with customers 351,498 84,822 436,320 Lease revenue — 7,752 7,752 Total operating revenues $ 351,498 $ 92,574 $ 444,072 Further disaggregation of revenue is disclosed in the Note 18 – Industry Segment Information. Contract Balances Contract assets arise when recorded revenue for a contract exceeds the amounts billed under the terms of such contract. Contract liabilities arise when billed amounts exceed revenue recorded. Amounts are billable to customers upon various measures of performance, including achievement of certain milestones and completion of specified units of completion of the contract. Contract assets primarily relate to the Company’s rights to consideration for work completed but not billed at the reporting date. The contract liabilities primarily relate to the advance consideration received from customers for customer contracts, for which transfer of control of products or performance of service occurs in the future, and therefore revenue is recognized upon completion of the performance obligation. The Company has elected to recognize the incremental costs of obtaining a contract with a term of less than one year as a selling expense when incurred. At August 31, 2019, contract assets amounted to $1.3 million. This amount is included within other current assets on the consolidated balance sheet. The contract asset attributable to the cumulative effect from the adoption of ASC Topic 606 totaled $1.1 million; the contract asset at August 31, 2018 was $0.5 million. At August 31, 2019, the contract liability amounted to $18.4 million. Contract liabilities are included within other current liabilities and noncurrent liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet. During the year ended August 31, 2019, the Company recognized $8.0 million of revenue that was included in the liability as of August 31, 2018. The revenue recognized was due to performance obligations being completed during the year. Amounts included here exclude deferred lease revenues that are also included within other current liabilities.

Divestitures and Held-For-Sale

Divestitures and Held-For-Sale	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Discontinued Operations And Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Divestitures and Held-For-Sale	Note 4 – Divestitures and Held-For-Sale During fiscal 2018, in connection with a portfolio review of business investments, the Company committed to a plan of divestiture of its pump and filtration businesses, a Company-owned irrigation dealership, and a Company-owned water resource consulting firm The Company completed the sale of the Company-owned irrigation dealership during fiscal 2019. Because the divestiture did not meet the criteria for discontinued operations presentation, the assets and liabilities of the Company-owned irrigation dealership were separately presented within the captions “Assets held-for-sale” and “Liabilities held-for-sale” in the consolidated balance sheet as of August 31, 2018. Additionally, during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018, the Company closed one of its infrastructure manufacturing facilities in North America and consolidated its operations with an irrigation manufacturing facility. The building related to the closure is currently listed for sale and is included within the caption “Assets held-for-sale” in the consolidated balance sheet as of August 31, 2019. The carrying amounts of the major classes of assets and liabilities that were classified as held-for-sale at August 31, 2019 and 2018, are as follows: ($ in thousands) August 31, 2019 August 31, 2018 Receivables, net of allowance of $0 and $244, respectively $ — $ 3,473 Inventories, net — 3,676 Property, plant, and equipment, net 2,744 3,637 Intangibles, net — 51 Total assets 2,744 10,837 Accounts payable — 1,476 Other current liabilities — 948 Total liabilities — 2,424 Net assets $ 2,744 $ 8,413

Net Earnings Per Share

Net Earnings Per Share	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net Earnings Per Share	Note 5 – Net Earnings Per Share The following table shows the computation of basic and diluted net earnings per share for fiscal 2019, 2018, and 2017: For the years ended August 31, ($ and shares in thousands, except per share amounts) 2019 2018 2017 Numerator: Net earnings $ 2,172 $ 20,277 $ 23,179 Denominator: Weighted average shares outstanding 10,781 10,741 10,666 Diluted effect of stock equivalents 29 31 28 Weighted average shares outstanding assuming dilution 10,810 10,772 10,694 Basic net earnings per share $ 0.20 $ 1.89 $ 2.17 Diluted net earnings per share $ 0.20 $ 1.88 $ 2.17 Certain stock options and restricted stock units were excluded from the computation of diluted net earnings per share because their effect would have been anti-dilutive. Performance stock units are excluded from the calculation of dilutive potential common shares until the threshold performance conditions have been satisfied. The following table shows the securities excluded from the computation of earnings per share because their effect would have been anti-dilutive: For the years ended August 31, (Units and options in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Restricted stock units 8 19 10 Stock options 72 65 108 Performance stock units 5 — —

Accumulated Other Comprehensive

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Stockholders Equity Note [Abstract]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	Note 6 – Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss Accumulated other comprehensive loss is included in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets in the shareholders’ equity section, and consists of the following components: August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Accumulated other comprehensive loss: Defined benefit pension plan, net of tax benefit of $885 and $1,362 $ (2,916 ) $ (2,199 ) Foreign currency translation, net of hedging activities, net of tax expense of $3,202 and $2,686 (16,931 ) (15,889 ) Total accumulated other comprehensive loss $ (19,847 ) $ (18,088 ) The following is a roll-forward of the balances in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax. Defined Foreign Accumulated benefit currency other pension plan translation comprehensive ($ in thousands) adjustment adjustment loss Balance at August 31, 2017 $ (2,450 ) $ (9,658 ) $ (12,108 ) Current period change 251 (6,231 ) (5,980 ) Balance at August 31, 2018 (2,199 ) (15,889 ) (18,088 ) Current period change (717 ) (1,042 ) (1,759 ) Balance at August 31, 2019 $ (2,916 ) $ (16,931 ) $ (19,847 )

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Note 7 – Income Taxes For financial reporting purposes earnings (losses) before income taxes include the following components: For the years ended August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 United States $ (1,949 ) $ 25,116 $ 21,969 Foreign 4,056 8,737 13,746 $ 2,107 $ 33,853 $ 35,715 Significant components of the income tax provision are as follows: For the years ended August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Current: Federal $ 2,190 $ 9,313 $ 7,873 State 324 1,047 781 Foreign 3,107 3,266 4,785 Total current 5,621 13,626 13,439 Deferred: Federal (3,209 ) 517 (688 ) State (624 ) (47 ) (43 ) Foreign (1,853 ) (520 ) (172 ) Total deferred (5,686 ) (50 ) (903 ) Total income tax provision $ (65 ) $ 13,576 $ 12,536 Total income tax provision resulted in effective tax rates differing from that of the statutory United States federal income tax rates. The reasons for these differences are: For the years ended August 31, 2019 2018 2017 ($ in thousands) Amount % Amount % Amount % U.S. statutory rate $ 443 21.0 $ 8,700 25.7 $ 12,500 35.0 State and local taxes, net of federal tax benefit (379 ) (18.0 ) 743 2.2 480 1.3 Foreign tax rate differences 164 7.8 809 2.4 (486 ) (1.4 ) U.S. tax reform 160 7.6 2,496 7.4 — — Deferred tax asset valuation allowance 142 6.7 758 2.2 (21 ) (0.1 ) Domestic production activities deduction — — (727 ) (2.1 ) (700 ) (2.0 ) Federal credits (338 ) (16.0 ) (375 ) (1.1 ) (288 ) (0.8 ) Uncertain tax benefits (153 ) (7.3 ) 198 0.6 264 0.7 Other (104 ) (4.9 ) 974 2.9 787 2.2 Effective rate $ (65 ) (3.1 ) $ 13,576 40.1 $ 12,536 35.1 Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows: August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Deferred tax assets: Allowance for doubtful accounts $ 687 $ 947 Accrued expenses 7,791 8,142 Warranty 2,118 1,648 Defined benefit pension plan 1,705 1,528 Inventory 1,445 1,935 Share-based compensation 1,146 925 Vacation 741 797 Net operating loss and capital loss carry forwards 3,648 2,868 Deferred revenue 2,716 536 Other 2,074 665 Gross deferred tax assets 24,071 19,991 Valuation allowance (3,759 ) (3,562 ) Net deferred tax assets $ 20,312 $ 16,429 Deferred tax liabilities: Intangible assets $ (6,163 ) $ (6,648 ) Property, plant, and equipment (3,263 ) (4,219 ) Total deferred tax liabilities $ (9,426 ) $ (10,867 ) Net deferred tax assets $ 10,886 $ 5,562 In assessing the ability to realize deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income, and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. Because the Company has a recent history of generating cumulative losses in a certain foreign tax jurisdiction, management did not consider projections of future taxable income as persuasive evidence for the recoverability of deferred tax assets in that jurisdiction. The Company has recorded a valuation allowance of $2.4 million as of August 31, 2019 and 2018 related to the net operating loss in the certain foreign tax jurisdiction. The Company has also recorded a valuation allowance of $1.4 million and $1.2 million as of August 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, related to capital losses from business divestitures where the Company believes it is more likely than not that the benefit from the capital loss will not be realized. The Company does not intend to, and has not historically, repatriated earnings of its foreign subsidiaries. Thus, the Company has not provided a deferred income tax liability on these undistributed earnings that are indefinitely reinvested. The Company would recognize a deferred income tax liability if the Company were to determine that such earnings were no longer indefinitely reinvested. During fiscal year 2018, U.S. Tax Reform was enacted, requiring companies to pay a one-time deemed repatriation tax on certain unrepatriated earnings of foreign subsidiaries, and generally eliminating U.S. federal income taxes on dividends from foreign subsidiaries. There are other taxes that may be incurred if the Company would repatriate earnings of its foreign subsidiaries. It is not practicable to estimate the amount of income taxes that would be incurred if the Company would repatriate earnings of its foreign subsidiaries. The Company recognizes tax benefits only for tax positions that are more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by tax authorities. The amount recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50 percent likely to be realized upon settlement. Unrecognized tax benefits are tax benefits claimed in the Company’s tax returns that do not meet these recognition and measurement standards. A reconciliation of changes in unrecognized tax benefits is as follows: August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Unrecognized tax benefits at September 1 $ 1,399 $ 1,498 Increases for positions taken in current year 1,457 117 Increases for positions taken in prior years 78 43 Decreases for positions taken in prior years (216 ) (21 ) Reduction resulting from lapse of applicable statute of limitations (329 ) (38 ) Decreases for settlements with tax authorities — (200 ) Unrecognized tax benefits at August 31 $ 2,389 $ 1,399 The net amount of unrecognized tax benefits at both August 31, 2019 and 2018 that, if recognized, would impact the Company’s effective tax rate was $0.6 million and $1.1 million respectively. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense. Total accrued liabilities for interest and penalties included in the unrecognized tax benefits liability were $1.1 million and $1.0 million for the years ended August 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. While it is expected that the amount of unrecognized tax benefits will change in the next twelve months as a result of the expiration of statutes of limitations, the Company does not expect this change to have a significant impact on its results of operations or financial position. The Company files income tax returns in the United States and in the United States and various state and foreign jurisdictions. The Company is no longer subject to income tax examination by US federal and most state tax authorities for tax years prior to fiscal 2017. Other major jurisdictions where we conduct business generally have statutes of limitations ranging from three to five years.

Inventories

Inventories	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Inventories	Note 8 - Inventories August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Raw materials and supplies $ 49,047 $ 36,316 Work in process 4,514 9,176 Finished goods and purchased parts 46,812 40,197 Total inventory value before LIFO adjustment 100,373 85,689 Less adjustment to LIFO value (8,086 ) (6,456 ) Inventories, net $ 92,287 $ 79,233

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, Plant and Equipment	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]
Property, Plant and Equipment	Note 9 – Property, Plant, and Equipment August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Operating property, plant, and equipment: Land $ 2,775 $ 2,799 Buildings 41,284 37,220 Machinery and equipment 77,715 75,635 Furniture and fixtures 7,706 6,632 Computer hardware and software 18,956 16,095 Construction in progress 10,953 6,733 Total operating property, plant, and equipment 159,389 145,114 Accumulated depreciation (102,437 ) (98,191 ) Total operating property, plant, and equipment, net 56,952 46,923 Property held for lease: Machines 8,861 8,214 Barriers 20,445 18,122 Total property held for lease 29,306 26,336 Accumulated depreciation (17,290 ) (16,011 ) Total property held for lease, net 12,016 10,325 Property, plant, and equipment, net $ 68,968 $ 57,248 Depreciation expense was $11.1 million, $12.5 million, and $12.2 million for fiscal 2019, 2018, and 2017, respectively.

Goodwill and Other Intangible A

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets	Note 10 – Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets The carrying amount of goodwill by reportable segment for the year ended August 31, 2019 and August 31, 2018 is as follows: ($ in thousands) Irrigation Infrastructure Total Balance as of August 31, 2017 $ 60,978 $ 16,153 $ 77,131 Divestiture of businesses (12,294 ) — (12,294 ) Foreign currency translation (93 ) (73 ) (166 ) Balance as of August 31, 2018 48,591 16,080 64,671 Foreign currency translation (24 ) (260 ) (284 ) Balance as of August 31, 2019 $ 48,567 $ 15,820 $ 64,387 The components of the Company’s identifiable intangible assets and their weighted average remaining life at August 31, 2019 and 2018 are included in the table below. August 31, 2019 2018 Weighted Gross Weighted Gross average carrying Accumulated average carrying Accumulated ($ in thousands) years amount amortization years amount amortization Amortizable intangible assets: Patents and developed technology 4.0 $ 26,547 $ (21,097 ) 5.7 $ 26,831 $ (19,656 ) Customer relationships 3.6 16,439 (9,779 ) 5.2 16,459 (8,668 ) Non-compete agreements 0.4 1,132 (1,107 ) 0.8 1,137 (1,048 ) Other — 110 (110 ) 1.1 110 (85 ) Unamortizable intangible assets: Tradenames N/A 12,247 — N/A 12,297 — Total 3.8 $ 56,475 $ (32,093 ) 5.5 $ 56,834 $ (29,457 ) Amortization expense for amortizable intangible assets was $2.9 million, $4.0 million, and $4.4 million for fiscal 2019, 2018, and 2017, respectively. Future estimated amortization of intangible assets for the next five years is as follows: Fiscal years $ in thousands 2020 $ 2,527 2021 1,866 2022 1,698 2023 1,595 2024 1,595 Thereafter 2,854 $ 12,135 The Company updated its impairment evaluation of goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives at August 31, 2019. No impairment losses were indicated as a result of the annual impairment testing for fiscal 2019, 2018 and 2017.

Other Current Liabilities

Other Current Liabilities	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]
Other Current Liabilities	Note 11 – Other Current Liabilities August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Other current liabilities: Contract liabilities $ 14,763 $ 7,306 Employee compensation and benefits 13,960 17,850 Accrued warranty 8,960 7,109 Dealer related liabilities 3,246 2,431 Deferred revenue - lease 2,985 878 Accrued insurance 1,482 2,256 Accrued environmental liability 1,243 1,264 Tax related liabilities 1,469 1,293 Other 4,380 6,548 Total other current liabilities $ 52,488 $ 46,935

Credit Arrangements

Credit Arrangements	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Credit Arrangements	Note 12 – Credit Arrangements Senior Notes The Company has outstanding $115.0 million in aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes, Series A (the “Senior Notes”). The entire principal of the Senior Notes is due and payable on February 19, 2030. Interest on the Senior Notes is payable semi-annually at a fixed annual rate of 3.82 percent and borrowings under the Senior Notes are unsecured. On May 31, 2019, the Company and holders of the Senior Notes agreed, among other things, to temporarily increase the Company’s maximum permitted funded debt to EBITDA leverage ratio from 3.0 to 3.5 through the fiscal quarter ending May 31, 2020, provided that, if such ratio exceeds the original maximum permitted ratio during such period, the interest rate on the Senior Notes shall be increased by up to 0.50% depending on the degree to which the Company exceeds such ratio. The Company used the proceeds of the sale of the Senior Notes for general corporate purposes, including acquisitions and dividends. Revolving Credit Facility The Company has outstanding a $50.0 million unsecured Amended and Restated Revolving Credit Facility (the “Revolving Credit Facility”) with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (“Wells Fargo”) expiring May 31, 2022. The Company intends to use borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility for working capital purposes and to fund acquisitions. At August 31, 2019 and August 31, 2018 , the Company had no outstanding borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility. The amount of borrowings available at any time under the Revolving Credit Facility is reduced by the amount of standby letters of credit issued by Wells Fargo then outstanding. At August 31, 2019, the Company had the ability to borrow up to $50.0 million under the Revolving Credit Facility. Borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility bear interest at a variable rate equal to LIBOR plus 90 basis points (2.9 percent at August 31, 2019), subject to adjustment as set forth in the loan documents for the Revolving Credit Facility. Interest is paid on a monthly to quarterly basis depending on loan type. The Company currently pays an annual commitment fee of 0.25 percent on the unused portion of the Revolving Credit Facility. Borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility have equal priority with borrowings under the Company’s Senior Notes. Each of the credit arrangements described above include certain covenants relating primarily to the Company’s financial condition. These financial covenants include a funded debt to EBITDA leverage ratio and an interest coverage ratio. In the event that the loan documents for the Revolving Credit Facility were to require the Company to comply with any financial covenant that is not already included or is more restrictive than what is already included in the arrangement governing the Senior Notes, then such covenant shall be deemed incorporated by reference into the Senior Notes for the benefit of the holders of the Senior Notes. Upon the occurrence of any event of default of these covenants, including a change in control of the Company, all amounts outstanding thereunder may be declared to be immediately due and payable. At August 31, 2019 and August 31, 2018, the Company was in compliance with all financial loan covenants contained in its credit arrangements in place as of each of those dates. Series 2006A Bonds Elecsys International Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, has outstanding $1.6 million in principal amount of industrial revenue bonds that were issued in 2006 (the “Series 2006A Bonds”). Principal and interest on the Series 2006A Bonds are payable monthly through maturity on September 1, 2026. The interest rate is adjustable every five years based on the yield of the 5-year United States Treasury Notes, plus 0.45 percent (1.92 percent as of August 31, 2019). This rate was adjusted on September 1, 2016 in accordance with the terms of the bonds, and the adjusted rate will be in force until September 1, 2021. The obligations under the Series 2006A Bonds are secured by a first priority security interest in certain real estate. Long-term debt consists of the following: August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Series A Senior Notes $ 115,000 $ 115,000 Revolving Credit Facility — — Elecsys Series 2006A Bonds 1,571 1,775 Total debt 116,571 116,775 Less current portion (209 ) (205 ) Less debt issuance costs (516 ) (441 ) Total long-term debt $ 115,846 $ 116,129 Principal payments due on the debt are as follows: Due within $ in thousands 1 year $ 209 2 years 213 3 years 217 4 years 221 5 years 226 Thereafter 115,485 $ 116,571

Financial Derivatives

Financial Derivatives	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Derivative Instruments And Hedges [Abstract]
Financial Derivatives	Note 13 – Financial Derivatives Fair values of derivative instruments are as follows: August 31, ($ in thousands) Balance sheet location 2019 2018 Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: Foreign currency forward contracts Other current assets $ 1,073 $ 775 Total derivatives designated as hedging instruments $ 1,073 $ 775 Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: Foreign currency forward contracts Other current assets $ 39 $ 123 Foreign currency forward contracts Other current liabilities — (12 ) Total derivatives not designated as hedging instruments $ 39 $ 111 Accumulated other comprehensive income included realized and unrealized after-tax gains of $7.0 million, $5.0 million, and $3.9 million at August 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, respectively, related to derivative contracts designated as hedging instruments. Net Investment Hedging Relationships The amount of loss recognized in OCI on derivatives is as follows: For the years ended August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Foreign currency forward contracts, net of tax expense (benefit) of $564, $498, and ($927) $ (1,964 ) $ (1,103 ) $ 1,710 During fiscal 2019, 2018, and 2017, the Company settled Euro foreign currency forward contracts resulting in an after-tax net loss of $0.6 million, 0.5 million and $0.9 million, respectively, which were included in OCI as part of a currency translation adjustment. There were no amounts recorded in the consolidated statement of operations related to ineffectiveness of Euro foreign currency forward contracts for the years ended August 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017. At August 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company had outstanding Euro foreign currency forward contracts to sell 32.7 million Euro at fixed prices to settle during the next fiscal quarter. At August 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company also had an outstanding foreign currency forward contract to sell 43.0 million South African rand at fixed prices to settle during the next fiscal quarter. The Company’s foreign currency forward contracts qualify as hedges of a net investment in foreign operations. Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments In order to reduce exposures related to changes in foreign currency exchange rates, the Company, at times, may enter into forward exchange or option contracts for transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency for certain of the Company’s operations. This activity primarily relates to economically hedging against foreign currency risk in purchasing inventory, sales of finished goods, and future settlement of foreign denominated assets and liabilities. The Company may choose whether or not to designate these contracts as hedges. For those contracts not designated, changes in fair value are recognized currently in the income statement. At August 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company had $1.8 million and 5.0 million, respectively, of U.S. dollar equivalent of foreign currency forward contracts outstanding.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair Value Measurements	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Measurements	Note 14 – Fair Value Measurements The following table presents the Company’s financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value, based upon the level within the fair value hierarchy in which the fair value measurements fall, as of August 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively: August 31, 2019 ($ in thousands) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Cash and cash equivalents $ 127,204 $ — $ — $ 127,204 Derivative assets — 1,112 — 1,112 Derivative liabilities — — — — August 31, 2018 ($ in thousands) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Cash and cash equivalents $ 160,787 $ — $ — $ 160,787 Derivative assets — 898 — 898 Derivative liabilities — (12 ) — (12 ) The carrying value of long-term debt (including current portion) was $116.6 million and $116.8 million at August 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The fair value of this debt was estimated to be $120.8 million

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Note 15 – Commitments and Contingencies In the ordinary course of its business operations, the Company enters into arrangements that obligate it to make future payments under contracts such as lease agreements. Additionally, the Company is involved, from time to time, in commercial litigation, employment disputes, administrative proceedings, business disputes and other legal proceedings. The Company has established accruals for certain proceedings based on an assessment of probability of loss. The Company believes that any such currently-pending proceedings are either covered by insurance or would not have a material effect on the business or its consolidated financial statements if decided in a manner that is unfavorable to the Company. Such proceedings are exclusive of environmental remediation matters which are discussed separately below. Infrastructure Products Litigation The Company is currently defending a number of product liability lawsuits arising out of vehicle collisions with highway barriers incorporating the Company’s X-Lite In June 2019, the Company was informed by letter that the Department of Justice, Civil Division and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, with the assistance of the Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, are conducting an investigation of the Company relating to the Company’s X-Lite end terminal and potential violations of the federal civil False Claims Act. Depending on the outcome of this matter, there could be a material adverse effect on the Company’s business or its consolidated financial statements. Given the current posture of the matter, the Company is unable to estimate a range of potential loss, if any, or to express an opinion regarding the ultimate outcome. Environmental Remediation In previous years, the Company committed to a plan to remediate environmental contamination of the groundwater at and adjacent to its Lindsay, Nebraska facility (the “site”). The current estimated aggregate accrued cost of $15.9 million is based on consideration of several remediation options that would use different technologies, each of which the Company believes could be successful in meeting the long-term regulatory requirements of the site. The Company participated in a preliminary meeting with the EPA and the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (the “NDEQ”) during the third quarter of fiscal 2016 to review remediation alternatives and proposed plans for the site and submitted its remedial alternatives evaluation report to the EPA in August 2016. The proposed remediation plan is preliminary and has not been approved by the EPA or the NDEQ. Based on guidance from third-party environmental experts and the preliminary discussions with the EPA, the Company anticipates that a definitive plan will not be agreed upon until fiscal 2020 or later. The Company accrues the anticipated cost of investigation and remediation when the obligation is probable and can be reasonably estimated. While the Company believes the current accrual is a good faith estimate of the long-term cost of remediation at this site based on preliminary analysis available at this time, the estimate of costs and their timing could change as a result of a number of factors, including (1) EPA and NDEQ input on the proposed remediation plan and any changes which they may subsequently require, (2) refinement of cost estimates and length of time required to complete remediation and post-remediation operations and maintenance, (3) effectiveness of the technology chosen in remediation of the site as well as changes in technology that may be available in the future, and (4) unforeseen circumstances existing at the site. As a result of these factors, the actual amount of costs incurred by the Company in connection with the remediation of contamination of its Lindsay, Nebraska site could exceed the amounts accrued for this expense at this time. While any revisions could be material to the operating results of any fiscal quarter or fiscal year, the Company does not expect such additional expenses would have a material adverse effect on its liquidity or financial condition. The following table summarizes the undiscounted environmental remediation liability classifications included in the balance sheet as of August 31, 2019 and 2018: ($ in thousands) August 31, Balance sheet location 2019 2018 Other current liabilities $ 1,243 $ 1,264 Other noncurrent liabilities 14,674 15,319 Total environmental remediation liabilities $ 15,917 $ 16,583 Leases The Company leases land, buildings, machinery, equipment, and computer equipment under various non-cancelable operating lease agreements. At August 31, 2019, future minimum lease payments under non-cancelable operating leases were as follows: Fiscal years $ in thousands 2020 $ 6,065 2021 5,266 2022 4,771 2023 3,414 2024 3,107 Thereafter 20,119 $ 42,742 Lease expense was $5.4 million, $5.0 million, and $5.1 million for fiscal 2019, 2018, and 2017, respectively.

Retirement Plans

Retirement Plans	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Compensation And Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Retirement Plans	Note 16 – Retirement Plans The Company has defined contribution profit‑sharing plans covering substantially all of its full-time U.S. employees. Participants may voluntarily contribute a percentage of compensation, but not in excess of the maximum allowed under the Internal Revenue Code. The plans provide for a matching contribution by the Company. The Company’s total contributions charged to expense under the plans were $1.2 million, $1.7 million, and $1.7 million for the years ended August 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, respectively. A supplementary non‑qualified, non‑funded retirement plan for five former executives is also maintained. Plan benefits are based on the executive’s average total compensation during the three highest compensation years of employment. This unfunded supplemental retirement plan is not subject to the minimum funding requirements of ERISA. While the plan is unfunded, the Company has purchased life insurance policies on certain former executives named in this supplemental retirement plan to provide funding for this liability. The cash surrender values of these insurance policies are recorded as other noncurrent assets. As of August 31, 2019 and 2018, the funded status of the supplemental retirement plan was recorded in the consolidated balance sheets. The Company utilizes an August 31 measurement date for plan obligations related to the supplemental retirement plan. As this is an unfunded retirement plan, the funded status is equal to the benefit obligation. The funded status of the plan and the net amount recognized in the accompanying balance sheets as of August 31 is as follows: August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Change in benefit obligation: Benefit obligation at beginning of year $ 6,404 $ 6,825 Interest cost 246 243 Actuarial (gain) loss 439 (134 ) Benefits paid (530 ) (530 ) Benefit obligation at end of year $ 6,559 $ 6,404 Amounts recognized in the statement of financial position consist of: August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Other current liabilities $ 530 $ 530 Pension benefit liabilities 6,029 5,874 Net amount recognized $ 6,559 $ 6,404 The before-tax amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss consists of: August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Net actuarial loss $ (3,801 ) $ (3,561 ) For the years ended August 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company assumed a discount rate of 3.3 percent and 4.0 percent, respectively, for the determination of the liability. The assumptions used to determine benefit obligations and costs are selected based on current and expected market conditions. The discount rate is based on a hypothetical portfolio of long-term corporate bonds with cash flows approximating the timing of expected benefit payments. For the years ended August 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, the Company assumed a discount rate of 4.00 percent, 3.70 percent, and 3.30 percent, respectively, for the determination of the net periodic benefit cost. The components of the net periodic benefit cost for the supplemental retirement plan are as follows: For the years ended August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Interest cost $ 246 $ 243 $ 236 Net amortization and deferral 199 206 241 Total $ 445 $ 449 $ 477 The estimated actuarial loss for the supplemental retirement plan that will be amortized, on a pre-tax basis, from accumulated other comprehensive loss into net periodic benefit cost during fiscal 2020 will be $0.2 million. The Company’s future annual contributions to the supplemental retirement plan will be equal to expected net benefit payments since the plan is unfunded. The following net benefit payments are expected to be paid: Fiscal years $ in thousands 2020 $ 519 2021 512 2022 503 2023 494 2024 485 Thereafter 4,046 $ 6,559

Warranties

Warranties	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Product Warranties Disclosures [Abstract]
Warranties	Note 17 - Warranties Product Warranties The Company generally warrants its products against certain manufacturing and other defects. These product warranties are provided for specific periods and/or usage of the product. The accrued product warranty costs are for a combination of specifically identified items and other incurred, but not identified, items based primarily on historical experience of actual warranty claims. This reserve is classified within other current liabilities. The following tables provide the changes in the Company’s product warranties: For the years ended August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Product warranty accrual balance, beginning of period $ 7,109 $ 8,411 Liabilities accrued for warranties during the period 7,263 5,228 Warranty claims paid during the period (5,769 ) (5,848 ) Changes in estimates 357 141 Transfers to liabilities held-for-sale and divested businesses — (823 ) Product warranty accrual balance, end of period $ 8,960 $ 7,109 Warranty costs were $7.6 million, $5.4 million, and $7.3 million for fiscal 2019, 2018, and 2017, respectively.

Industry Segment Information

Industry Segment Information	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Industry Segment Information	Note 18 – Industry Segment Information The Company manages its business activities in two reportable segments: Irrigation and Infrastructure. The accounting policies of the two reportable segments are the same as those described in Note 1, Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies. The Company evaluates the performance of its reportable segments based on segment sales, gross profit, and operating income, with operating income for segment purposes excluding unallocated corporate general and administrative expenses, interest income, interest expense, other income and expenses, and income taxes. Operating income for segment purposes does include general and administrative expenses, selling expenses, engineering and research expenses and other overhead charges directly attributable to the segment. There are no inter-segment sales included in the amounts disclosed. Irrigation This reporting segment includes the manufacture and marketing of center pivot, lateral move, and hose reel irrigation systems, as well as various innovative technology solutions such as GPS positioning and guidance, variable rate irrigation, wireless irrigation management, M2M communication technology, and smartphone applications. The irrigation reporting segment consists of one operating segment. Infrastructure This reporting segment includes the manufacture and marketing of moveable barriers, specialty barriers, crash cushions and end terminals, and road marking and road safety equipment; the manufacturing and selling of large diameter steel tubing and railroad signals and structures; and providing outsourced manufacturing and production services. The infrastructure reporting segment consists of one operating segment. The Company has no single major customer representing ten percent or more of its total revenues during fiscal 2019, 2018, or 2017. Summarized financial information concerning the Company’s reportable segments is shown in the following tables: ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Operating revenues: Irrigation: North America $ 218,627 $ 294,617 $ 340,660 International 132,871 145,241 77,381 Irrigation total 351,498 439,858 418,041 Infrastructure 92,574 107,847 99,944 Total operating revenues $ 444,072 $ 547,705 $ 517,985 Operating income: Irrigation $ 29,804 $ 41,933 $ 42,774 Infrastructure 16,599 23,857 20,131 Corporate (40,288 ) (26,778 ) (22,256 ) Total operating income 6,115 39,012 40,649 Interest and other expense, net (4,008 ) (5,159 ) (4,934 ) Earnings before income taxes $ 2,107 $ 33,853 $ 35,715 Total capital expenditures: Irrigation $ 9,473 $ 9,259 $ 6,313 Infrastructure 4,928 938 1,562 Corporate 8,810 857 988 $ 23,211 $ 11,054 $ 8,863 Depreciation and amortization: Irrigation $ 9,500 $ 11,412 $ 11,840 Infrastructure 3,663 4,611 4,452 Corporate 855 491 386 $ 14,018 $ 16,514 $ 16,678 Total assets: Irrigation $ 292,202 $ 277,712 $ 337,446 Infrastructure 85,848 69,919 80,187 Corporate 122,264 152,184 88,399 $ 500,314 $ 499,815 $ 506,032 Summarized financial information concerning the Company’s geographical areas is shown in the following tables. For the years ended August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Revenues % of total Revenues % of total Revenues % of total United States $ 257,719 58 $ 321,698 59 $ 297,261 57 International 186,353 42 226,007 41 220,724 43 Total revenues $ 444,072 100 $ 547,705 100 $ 517,985 100 For the years ended August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Long-lived tangible assets % of total Long-lived tangible assets % of total Long-lived tangible assets % of total United States $ 52,187 76 $ 39,290 69 $ 54,199 73 International 16,781 24 17,958 31 20,299 27 Total long-lived assets $ 68,968 100 $ 57,248 100 $ 74,498 100

Share-Based Compensation

Share-Based Compensation	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Share-Based Compensation	Note 19 – Share-Based Compensation Share-Based Compensation Program Share-based compensation is designed to reward employees for their long-term contributions to the Company and provide incentives for them to remain with the Company. The number and frequency of share grants are based on competitive practices, operating results of the Company, and individual performance. As of August 31, 2019, the Company’s share-based compensation plan was the 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”). The 2015 Plan was approved by the shareholders of the Company, and became effective on January 26, 2015, and replaced the Company’s 2010 Long Term Incentive Plan. At August 31, 2019, the Company had share-based awards outstanding under its 2010 and 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plans. The 2015 Plan provides for awards of stock options, restricted shares, restricted stock units, stock appreciation rights, performance shares and performance stock units to employees and non-employee directors of the Company. The maximum number of shares as to which stock awards may be granted under the 2015 Plan is 626,968 shares, exclusive of any forfeitures from the 2010 Long Term Incentive Plan. At August 31, 2019, 393,145 shares of common stock (including forfeitures from prior plans) remained available for issuance under the 2015 Plan. All stock awards will be counted against the 2015 Plan in a 1 to 1 ratio. If options, restricted stock units or performance stock units awarded under the 2010 Plan terminate without being fully vested or exercised, those shares will be available again for grant under the 2015 Plan. The 2015 Plan also limits the total awards that may be made to any individual. Share-Based Compensation Information The following table summarizes share-based compensation expense for fiscal 2019, 2018, and 2017: For the years ended August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Share-based compensation expense included in cost of operating revenues $ 105 $ 113 $ 231 Research and development 221 150 162 Sales and marketing 250 461 397 General and administrative 3,819 3,169 2,807 Share-based compensation expense included in operating expenses 4,290 3,780 3,366 Total share-based compensation expense 4,395 3,893 3,597 Tax benefit (1,033 ) (1,090 ) (1,338 ) Share-based compensation expense, net of tax $ 3,362 $ 2,803 $ 2,259 As of August 31, 2019, there was $6.3 million pre-tax of total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested share-based compensation arrangements which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.8 years. Stock Options – Stock option awards have an exercise price equal to the closing price on the date of grant, expire no later than ten years from the date of grant and vest over a four year period at 25 percent per year. The fair value of stock option awards is estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The table below shows the annual weighted average assumptions used for valuation purposes. Grant year Fiscal 2019 Fiscal 2018 Risk-free interest rate 3.1 % 2.2 % Dividend yield 1.4 % 1.3 % Expected life (years) 6 7 Volatility 26.3 % 33.9 % Weighted average grant-date fair value of options granted $ 24.71 $ 30.72 The risk-free rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant; the dividend yield is calculated as the ratio of dividends paid per share of common stock to the stock price on the date of grant; the expected life is based on historical and expected exercise behavior; and volatility is based on the historical volatility of the Company’s stock price over the expected life of the option. The following table summarizes stock option activity for fiscal 2019: Number of stock options Average exercise price Average remaining contractual term (years) Aggregate intrinsic value (thousands) Stock options outstanding at August 31, 2018 76,803 $ 82.06 7.7 $ 1,053 Granted 38,337 91.82 Exercised (2,579 ) 68.48 93 Stock options outstanding at August 31, 2019 112,561 $ 85.70 7.6 $ 540 Stock options exercisable at August 31, 2019 38,386 $ 77.90 5.8 $ 427 There were 15,496, 27,811, and 25,285 outstanding stock options that vested during fiscal 2019, 2018, and 2017, respectively. Additional information regarding stock option exercises is summarized in the table below. For the years ended August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Intrinsic value of stock options exercised $ 93 $ 538 $ 681 Cash received from stock option exercises $ 177 $ 2,788 $ 3,020 Tax benefit realized from stock option exercises $ 26 $ 151 $ 254 Weighted average grant-date fair value of stock options vested $ 32.66 $ 31.37 $ 35.79 Restricted stock units - The restricted stock units have a grant-date fair value equal to the fair market value of the underlying stock on the grant date less present value of expected dividends. The restricted stock units granted to employees vest over a three year period at approximately 33 percent per year. The restricted stock units granted to non-employee directors generally vest over a nine month period. The following table summarizes restricted stock unit activity for fiscal 2019: Number of restricted stock units Weighted average grant- date fair value Restricted stock units outstanding at August 31, 2018 90,609 $ 84.38 Granted 36,693 89.76 Vested (40,655 ) 83.68 Forfeited / Cancelled (7,305 ) 89.54 Restricted stock units outstanding at August 31, 2019 79,342 $ 87.49 Restricted stock units are generally settled with the issuance of shares with the exception of certain restricted stock units awarded to internationally-based employees that are settled in cash. At August 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, outstanding restricted stock units included 4,103, 6,474, and 6,709 units, respectively, that will be settled in cash. The fair value of restricted stock units that vested during the period was $4.1 million and $3.2 million for each of the years ended August 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Performance stock units - The performance stock units have a grant-date fair value equal to the fair market value of the underlying stock on the grant date less present value of expected dividends. The performance stock units granted to employees cliff vest after a three year period and a specified number of shares of common stock will be awarded under the terms of the performance stock units, if performance measures relating to revenue growth and a return on net assets are achieved. The table below summarizes performance stock unit activity for fiscal 2019: Number of performance stock units Weighted average grant- date fair value Performance stock units outstanding at August 31, 2018 19,952 $ 80.99 Granted 20,631 98.03 Forfeited / cancelled (3,154 ) 64.37 Performance stock units outstanding at August 31, 2019 37,429 $ 85.10 Performance stock units outstanding as of August 31, 2019 and issued prior to fiscal 2019 include performance goals based upon revenue growth and a return on net assets during the performance period. The awards actually earned will range from zero to two hundred percent of the targeted number of performance stock units and will be paid in shares of common stock. Shares earned will be distributed upon vesting on the first day of November following the end of the three-year performance period. The Company is accruing compensation expense based on the estimated number of shares expected to be issued utilizing the most current information available to the Company at the date of the financial statements. If defined performance goals are not met, no compensation cost will be recognized and any previously recognized compensation expense will be reversed. In fiscal 2019, 2018, and 2017, no performance stock units vested. Performance stock units outstanding as of August 31, 2019 and issued during fiscal 2019 include performance goals based on a return on net assets and total shareholder return (TSR) relative to the Company’s peers during the performance period. The awards actually earned will range from zero to two hundred percent of the targeted number of performance stock units and will be paid in shares of common stock. Shares earned will be distributed upon vesting on the first day of November following the end of the three-year performance period. For the return on net assets portion of the award, the Company is accruing compensation expense based on the estimated number of shares expected to be issued utilizing the most current information available to the Company at the date of the financial statements. For the TSR portion of the award, compensation expense is recorded ratably over the three year term of the award based on the estimated grant date fair value. The fair value of the TSR portion of the awards granted in fiscal 2019 was estimated at the grant date using a Monte Carlo simulation model which included the following assumptions: Expected term (years) 3 Risk-free interest rate 2.9 % Volatility 27.3 % Dividend yield 1.4 %

Share Repurchases

Share Repurchases	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Equity [Abstract]
Share Repurchases	Note 20 – Share Repurchases The Company’s Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program of up to $250.0 million of common stock with no expiration date. Under the program, shares may be repurchased in privately negotiated and/or open market transactions as well as under formalized trading plans in accordance with the guidelines specified under Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. There were no shares repurchased during the twelve months ended August 31, 2019. The remaining amount available under the repurchase program was $63.7 million as of August 31, 2019.

Quarterly Results of Operations

Quarterly Results of Operations	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Quarterly Results of Operations	Note 21 – Quarterly Results of Operations (Unaudited) First Second Third Fourth ($ in thousands, except per share amounts) Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter Year ended August 31, 2019 Operating revenues $ 111,951 $ 109,182 $ 121,054 $ 101,885 Cost of operating revenues $ 83,303 $ 84,708 $ 91,055 $ 70,398 Earnings (loss) before income taxes $ 1,681 $ (5,068 ) $ 3,229 $ 2,265 Net earnings (loss) $ 1,212 $ (3,440 ) $ 2,897 $ 1,503 Diluted net earnings (loss) per share $ 0.11 $ (0.32 ) $ 0.27 $ 0.14 Year ended August 31, 2018 Operating revenues $ 124,526 $ 130,339 $ 169,571 $ 123,269 Cost of operating revenues $ 92,129 $ 95,023 $ 118,093 $ 90,998 Earnings before income taxes $ 4,792 $ 5,676 $ 17,445 $ 5,940 Net earnings $ 3,185 $ 1,735 $ 10,379 $ 4,978 Diluted net earnings per share $ 0.30 $ 0.16 $ 0.96 $ 0.46

Valuation and Qualifying Accoun

Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Valuation And Qualifying Accounts [Abstract]
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	(a)(2) Financial Statement Schedules. Lindsay Corporation and Subsidiaries Years ended August 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017 Additions (in thousands) Balance at beginning of period Charges to costs and expenses Charged to other accounts Deductions Balance at end of period Year ended August 31, 2019: Deducted in the balance sheet from the assets to which they apply: Allowance for doubtful accounts (1) $ 3,585 — — 950 $ 2,635 Deferred tax asset valuation allowance (2) 3,562 197 — — 3,759 Year ended August 31, 2018: Deducted in the balance sheet from the Valuation Allowance for doubtful accounts (1) $ 7,447 744 — 4,606 $ 3,585 Deferred tax asset valuation allowance (2) 2,804 758 — — 3,562 Year ended August 31, 2017: Deducted in the balance sheet from the assets to which they apply: Allowance for doubtful accounts (1) $ 8,312 483 — 1,348 $ 7,447 Deferred tax asset valuation allowance (2) 2,825 — — 21 2,804 (1) Deductions consist of uncollectible items reserved, less recoveries of items previously reserved. (2) Additions and deductions consist of changes to deferred tax assets not expected to be realized. (a)(3) Exhibits. The list of the Exhibits in the Exhibit Index is incorporated into this item by reference.

Description of Business and S_2

Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Irrigation Segment	Irrigation Segment The Company’s irrigation segment includes the manufacture and marketing of center pivot, lateral move, and hose reel irrigation systems which are used principally in the agricultural industry to increase or stabilize crop production while conserving water, energy and labor
Infrastructure Segment	Infrastructure Segment The Company’s infrastructure segment includes the manufacture and marketing of moveable barriers, specialty barriers, crash cushions and end terminals, road marking and road safety equipment, large diameter steel tubing, and railroad signals and structures. The infrastructure segment also provides outsourced manufacturing and production services. The principal infrastructure manufacturing facilities are located in Rio Vista, California; Milan, Italy; and Lindsay, Nebraska.
Principles of Consolidation	Principles of Consolidation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.
Reclassifications	Reclassifications Certain reclassifications have been made to prior financial statements to conform to the current-year presentation.
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Revenue Recognition	Revenue Recognition The Company adopted ASC 606 – Revenue from Contracts with Customers
Share-Based Compensation	Share-Based Compensation The Company recognizes compensation expense for all share-based payment awards made to employees and directors based on estimated fair values on the date of grant. The Company uses the straight-line amortization method over the vesting period of the awards. The Company has historically issued shares upon exercise of stock options or vesting of restricted stock units or performance stock units. The value of the portion of the award that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as expense in the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations over the periods during which the employee or director is required to perform a service in exchange for the award. The Company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model (“Black-Scholes model”) as its valuation method for stock option awards. Under the Black-Scholes model, the fair value of stock option awards on the date of grant is estimated using an option-pricing model that is affected by the Company’s stock price as well as assumptions regarding a number of highly complex and subjective variables. These variables include, but are not limited to, the Company’s expected stock price volatility over the term of the awards and actual and projected employee stock option exercise behaviors. Restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares and performance stock units issued under the 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan will have a grant-date fair value equal to the fair market value of the underlying stock on the grant date less present value of expected dividends.
Warranty Costs	Warranty Costs The Company’s provision for product warranty reflects management’s best estimate of probable liability under its product warranties. At the time a sale is recognized, the company records the estimated future warranty costs. The Company generally determines its total future warranty liability by applying historical claims rate experience to the amount of equipment that has been sold and is still within the warranty period. In addition, the Company records provisions for known warranty claims. This provision is periodically adjusted to reflect actual experience.
Cash and Cash Equivalents	Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash equivalents consist of highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less.
Receivables and Allowances	Receivables and Allowances Trade receivables are reported on the balance sheet net of any doubtful accounts. Losses are recognized when it is probable that an asset has been impaired and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. In estimating probable losses, the Company reviews specific accounts that are significant and past due, in bankruptcy or otherwise identified as at risk for potential credit loss. Collectability of these specific accounts are assessed based on facts and circumstances of that customer, and an allowance for credit losses is established based on the probability of default. In assessing the likelihood of collection of receivable, the Company considers (for example) the Company’s history of collections, the current status of discussions and repayment plans, collateral received, and other evidence and information regarding collection or default risk that is available in the market place. The allowance for credit losses attributable to the remaining accounts is established using probabilities of default and an estimate of associated losses based upon the aging of receivable balances, collection experience, economic condition and credit risk quality. As the Company’s international business has grown, the exposure to potential losses in international markets has also increased. These exposures can be difficult to estimate, particularly in areas of political instability or with governments with which the Company has limited experience or where there is a lack of transparency as to the current credit condition of governmental units. The Company’s allowance for all doubtful accounts related to outstanding receivables decreased to $2.6 million at August 31, 2019 from $3.6 million at August 31, 2018. The Company’s evaluation of the adequacy of the allowance for credit losses is based on facts and circumstances available to the Company at the date the consolidated financial statements are issued and considers any significant changes in circumstances occurring through the date that the financial statements are issued.
Inventories	Inventories Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Cost is determined by the last‑in, first‑out (“LIFO”) method, the first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) method, or the weighted average cost method for inventory depending on the operations at each specific location. At all locations, the Company reserves for obsolete, slow moving, and excess inventory by estimating the net realizable value based on the potential future use of such inventory.
Property, Plant and Equipment	Property, Plant, and Equipment Property, plant, equipment, and capitalized assets held for lease are stated at cost. The Company capitalizes major expenditures and charges to operating expenses the cost of current maintenance and repairs. Provisions for depreciation and amortization have been computed principally on the straight-line method for property, plant, and equipment. Rates used for depreciation are based principally on the following expected lives: buildings ‑‑ 15 to 40 years; equipment ‑‑ 3 to 7 years; computer hardware and software – 3 to 5 years; leased barrier transfer machines -- 8 to 10 years; leased barriers -- 12 years; other ‑‑ 2 to 20 years and leasehold improvements – shorter of the economic life or term of the lease. The Company’s internally developed software is included in computer hardware and software. All of the Company’s long‑lived asset groups are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. If the sum of the expected future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset group, an impairment loss is recognized based upon the difference between the fair value of the asset and its carrying value. No impairments were recorded during the fiscal years ended August 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017. The cost and accumulated depreciation relating to assets retired or otherwise disposed of are eliminated from the respective accounts at the time of disposition. The resulting gain or loss is included in operating income in the consolidated statements of earnings.
Valuation of Goodwill And Identifiable Intangible Assets	Valuation of Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of net assets acquired in a business combination. Acquired intangible assets are recognized separately from goodwill. Goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives are tested for impairment at least annually at August 31 and whenever triggering events or changes in circumstances indicate its carrying value may not be recoverable. Assessment of the potential impairment of goodwill and identifiable intangible assets is an integral part of the Company’s normal ongoing review of operations. Testing for potential impairment of these assets is significantly dependent on numerous assumptions and reflects management’s best estimates at a particular point in time. The dynamic economic environments in which the Company’s businesses operate and key economic and business assumptions related to projected selling prices, market growth, inflation rates and operating expense ratios, can significantly affect the outcome of impairment tests. Estimates based on these assumptions may differ significantly from actual results. Changes in factors and assumptions used in assessing potential impairments can have a significant impact on the existence and magnitude of impairments, as well as the time in which such impairments are recognized. In fiscal 2019, in conjunction with the Company’s annual review for impairment, the Company performed a qualitative analysis of goodwill for each of the Company’s reporting units, which are the same as its operating segments, and did not identify any potential impairment. Also in fiscal 2019, the Company performed a qualitative analysis of other intangible assets not subject to amortization and concluded there were no indicators of impairment.
Income Taxes	Income Taxes Income taxes are accounted for utilizing the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying value of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. These expected future tax consequences are measured based on currently enacted tax rates. The effect of tax rate changes on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income during the period that includes the enactment date. In assessing the ability to realize deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. The Company’s evaluation of the adequacy of any potential allowance is based on facts and circumstances available to the Company at the date the consolidated financial statements are issued and considers any significant changes in circumstances occurring through the date that the financial statements are issued.
Net Earnings Per Share	Net Earnings per Share Basic net earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding plus dilutive potential common shares outstanding during the period. Employee stock options, non-vested shares and similar equity instruments granted by the Company are treated as potential common share equivalents outstanding in computing diluted net earnings per share. The Company’s diluted common shares outstanding reported in each period includes the dilutive effect of restricted stock units, in-the-money options, and performance stock units for which threshold performance conditions have been satisfied and is calculated based on the average share price for each fiscal period using the treasury stock method. Under the treasury stock method, the amount the employee must pay for exercising stock options, and the amount of compensation cost for future service that the Company has not yet recognized, are assumed to be used to repurchase shares.
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities	Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities The Company uses certain financial derivatives to mitigate its exposure to volatility in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates. All derivative instruments are recorded on the balance sheet at their respective fair values. The Company uses these derivative instruments only to hedge exposures in the ordinary course of business and does not invest in derivative instruments for speculative purposes. On the date a derivative contract is entered into, the Company may elect to designate the derivative as a fair value hedge, a cash flow hedge, or the hedge of a net investment in a foreign operation. The Company also formally assesses, both at the hedge’s inception and on an ongoing basis, whether the derivative that is used in the hedging transaction is effective. For those instruments that are designated as a cash flow hedge and meet certain documentary and analytical requirements to qualify for hedge accounting treatment, changes in the fair value for the effective portion are reported in other comprehensive income (“OCI”), net of related income tax effects, and are reclassified to the income statement when the effects of the item being hedged are recognized in the income statement. Changes in fair value of derivative instruments that qualify as hedges of a net investment in foreign operations are recorded as a component of accumulated currency translation adjustment in accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”), net of related income tax effects. Changes in the fair value of undesignated hedges are recognized currently in earnings. All changes in derivative fair values due to ineffectiveness are recognized currently in income. The Company discontinues hedge accounting prospectively when it is determined that the derivative is no longer effective in offsetting changes in the cash flows of the hedged item, the derivative expires or is sold, terminated, or exercised, or management determines that designation of the derivative as a hedging instrument is no longer appropriate. In situations in which the Company does not elect hedge accounting or hedge accounting is discontinued and the derivative is retained, the Company carries or continues to carry the derivative at its fair value on the balance sheet and recognizes any subsequent changes in its fair value through earnings. The Company manages market and credit risks associated with its derivative instruments by establishing and monitoring limits as to the types and degree of risk that may be undertaken, and by entering into transactions with high-quality counterparties. As of August 31, 2019, the Company’s derivative counterparty had investment grade credit ratings.
Fair Value Measurements	Fair Value Measurements The Company’s disclosure of the fair value of assets and liabilities is based on a three-level hierarchy for fair value measurements based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability as of the measurement date. Inputs refers broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, including assumptions about risk. The categorization within the valuation hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value will be classified and disclosed in one of the following three categories: • Level 1 – inputs to valuation techniques are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities • Level 2 – inputs to the valuation techniques are other than quoted prices but are observable for the assets or liabilities, either directly or indirectly • Level 3 – inputs to the valuation techniques are unobservable for the assets or liabilities
Treasury Stock	Treasury Stock When the Company repurchases its outstanding stock, it records the repurchased shares at cost as a reduction to shareholders’ equity. The weighted average cost method is utilized for share re-issuances. The difference between the cost and the re-issuance price is charged or credited to a “capital in excess of stated value – treasury stock” account to the extent that there is a sufficient balance to absorb the charge. If the treasury stock is sold for an amount less than its cost and there is not a sufficient balance in the capital in excess of stated value – treasury stock account, the excess is charged to retained earnings.
Contingencies	Contingencies The Company’s accounting for contingencies covers a variety of business activities including contingencies for legal exposures and environmental exposures. The Company accrues these contingencies when its assessments indicate that it is probable that a liability has been incurred and an amount can be reasonably estimated. The Company’s estimates are based on currently available facts and its estimates of the ultimate outcome or resolution. Actual results may differ from the Company’s estimates resulting in an impact, positive or negative, on earnings.
Environmental Remediation Liabilities	Environmental Remediation Liabilities Environmental remediation liabilities include costs directly associated with site investigation and clean up, such as materials, external contractor costs and incremental internal costs directly related to the remedy. The Company accrues the anticipated cost of environmental remediation when the obligation is probable and can be reasonably estimated. Estimates used to record environmental remediation liabilities are based on the Company’s best estimate of probable future costs based on site-specific facts and circumstances. The Company records the undiscounted environmental remediation liabilities that represent the points in the range of estimates that are most probable or the minimum amount when no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other amount.
Translation of Foreign Currency	Translation of Foreign Currency The Company’s portion of the assets and liabilities related to foreign investments are translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date. Revenue and expenses are translated at the average rates of exchange prevailing during the year. Unrealized gains or losses are reflected within common shareholders’ equity as accumulated other comprehensive income or loss.
New Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Guidance Not Yet Adopted In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases The Company has completed its implementation efforts, which included various procedures performed to identify the Company’s portfolio of lease agreements, implementation of a new leasing software to meet the reporting and disclosure requirements of the standard, and an evaluation of its lease related processes and internal controls. The Company will record a right of use asset and lease liability of approximately $25.6 million and $29.4 million, respectively, upon adoption of the standard on the first day of fiscal 2020. Implementation of ASC 842 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations or cash flows for its lessee transactions. The Company’s Infrastructure segment generates revenue from transactions in which it is the lessor. Adoption of the ASC 842 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets, statements of operations or cash flows for its lessor transactions. In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326), Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-12, Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities Recent Accounting Guidance Adopted In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The Company adopted the new standard using the modified retrospective approach effective the first day of fiscal 2019. As a result of the adoption, the Company increased retained earnings, $0.5 million, net of tax. This change relates primarily to custom and contract manufacturing arrangements for certain of the Company’s irrigation and infrastructure equipment products at various stages of production at August 31, 2018 in addition to contracts with multiple performance obligations for which control of the relevant performance obligation had been satisfied. Results for reporting periods beginning September 1, 2018 are presented in accordance with ASC Topic 606, while prior period amounts are not adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with the previously applied revenue recognition guidance. In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-07, Presentation of Net Periodic Benefit Cost Related to Defined Benefit Plans In December 2017, the SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 (“SAB 118”), Income Tax Accounting Implications of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Income Taxes In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-02, Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

Revenue Recognition (Tables)

Revenue Recognition (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Schedule of Disaggregation of Revenue by Segment	A breakout by segment of revenue recognized over time versus point in time for twelve months ended August 31, 2019 is as follows: Year ended August 31, 2019 ($ in thousands) Irrigation Infrastructure Total Point in time $ 318,544 $ 78,768 $ 397,312 Over time 32,954 6,054 39,008 Revenue from the contracts with customers 351,498 84,822 436,320 Lease revenue — 7,752 7,752 Total operating revenues $ 351,498 $ 92,574 $ 444,072
ASC Topic 606 [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Summary of Impacts of ASU on Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements	The cumulative effect of initially applying the new revenue standard under ASC Topic 606 was recorded as an adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings, which impacted the condensed consolidated balance sheet as follows: ($ in thousands) August 31, 2018 ASC Topic 606 Adjustments September 1, 2018 Assets Inventories, net $ 79,233 $ (942 ) $ 78,291 Other current assets 11,087 1,651 12,738 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity Other current liabilities $ 46,935 $ 14 $ 46,949 Deferred income tax liabilities 1,083 163 1,246 Retained earnings 484,886 532 485,418 The adoption of ASC Topic 606 had the following impact on the consolidated balance sheet as of August 31, 2019 and consolidated statement of earnings for the year ended August 31, 2019: ($ in thousands) As Reported Adjustments Balance without adoption of ASC Topic 606 Assets Inventories, net $ 92,287 $ 3,729 $ 96,016 Other current assets 15,704 (1,170 ) 14,534 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity Other current liabilities $ 52,488 $ 5,711 $ 58,199 Retained earnings 474,740 (3,153 ) 471,587 ($ in thousands) As Reported Adjustments Balance without adoption of ASC Topic 606 Statement of Earnings Operating revenues $ 444,072 $ (6,359 ) $ 437,713 Operating income 6,115 (3,410 ) 2,705

Divestitures and Held-For-Sale

Divestitures and Held-For-Sale (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Discontinued Operations And Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Schedule of Carrying Amounts of Major classes of Assets and Liabilities Classified as Held-for-Sale	The carrying amounts of the major classes of assets and liabilities that were classified as held-for-sale at August 31, 2019 and 2018, are as follows: ($ in thousands) August 31, 2019 August 31, 2018 Receivables, net of allowance of $0 and $244, respectively $ — $ 3,473 Inventories, net — 3,676 Property, plant, and equipment, net 2,744 3,637 Intangibles, net — 51 Total assets 2,744 10,837 Accounts payable — 1,476 Other current liabilities — 948 Total liabilities — 2,424 Net assets $ 2,744 $ 8,413

Net Earnings Per Share (Tables)

Net Earnings Per Share (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Computation of Basic and Diluted Net Earnings Per Share	The following table shows the computation of basic and diluted net earnings per share for fiscal 2019, 2018, and 2017: For the years ended August 31, ($ and shares in thousands, except per share amounts) 2019 2018 2017 Numerator: Net earnings $ 2,172 $ 20,277 $ 23,179 Denominator: Weighted average shares outstanding 10,781 10,741 10,666 Diluted effect of stock equivalents 29 31 28 Weighted average shares outstanding assuming dilution 10,810 10,772 10,694 Basic net earnings per share $ 0.20 $ 1.89 $ 2.17 Diluted net earnings per share $ 0.20 $ 1.88 $ 2.17
Schedule of Anti-dilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share	The following table shows the securities excluded from the computation of earnings per share because their effect would have been anti-dilutive: For the years ended August 31, (Units and options in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Restricted stock units 8 19 10 Stock options 72 65 108 Performance stock units 5 — —

Accumulated Other Comprehensi_2

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Stockholders Equity Note [Abstract]
Schedule of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	Accumulated other comprehensive loss is included in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets in the shareholders’ equity section, and consists of the following components: August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Accumulated other comprehensive loss: Defined benefit pension plan, net of tax benefit of $885 and $1,362 $ (2,916 ) $ (2,199 ) Foreign currency translation, net of hedging activities, net of tax expense of $3,202 and $2,686 (16,931 ) (15,889 ) Total accumulated other comprehensive loss $ (19,847 ) $ (18,088 )
Roll Forward of Balances in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	The following is a roll-forward of the balances in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax. Defined Foreign Accumulated benefit currency other pension plan translation comprehensive ($ in thousands) adjustment adjustment loss Balance at August 31, 2017 $ (2,450 ) $ (9,658 ) $ (12,108 ) Current period change 251 (6,231 ) (5,980 ) Balance at August 31, 2018 (2,199 ) (15,889 ) (18,088 ) Current period change (717 ) (1,042 ) (1,759 ) Balance at August 31, 2019 $ (2,916 ) $ (16,931 ) $ (19,847 )

Income Taxes (Tables)

Income Taxes (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Earnings Before Income Taxes	For the years ended August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 United States $ (1,949 ) $ 25,116 $ 21,969 Foreign 4,056 8,737 13,746 $ 2,107 $ 33,853 $ 35,715
Schedule of Significant Components of Income Tax Provision	For the years ended August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Current: Federal $ 2,190 $ 9,313 $ 7,873 State 324 1,047 781 Foreign 3,107 3,266 4,785 Total current 5,621 13,626 13,439 Deferred: Federal (3,209 ) 517 (688 ) State (624 ) (47 ) (43 ) Foreign (1,853 ) (520 ) (172 ) Total deferred (5,686 ) (50 ) (903 ) Total income tax provision $ (65 ) $ 13,576 $ 12,536
Schedule of Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation	For the years ended August 31, 2019 2018 2017 ($ in thousands) Amount % Amount % Amount % U.S. statutory rate $ 443 21.0 $ 8,700 25.7 $ 12,500 35.0 State and local taxes, net of federal tax benefit (379 ) (18.0 ) 743 2.2 480 1.3 Foreign tax rate differences 164 7.8 809 2.4 (486 ) (1.4 ) U.S. tax reform 160 7.6 2,496 7.4 — — Deferred tax asset valuation allowance 142 6.7 758 2.2 (21 ) (0.1 ) Domestic production activities deduction — — (727 ) (2.1 ) (700 ) (2.0 ) Federal credits (338 ) (16.0 ) (375 ) (1.1 ) (288 ) (0.8 ) Uncertain tax benefits (153 ) (7.3 ) 198 0.6 264 0.7 Other (104 ) (4.9 ) 974 2.9 787 2.2 Effective rate $ (65 ) (3.1 ) $ 13,576 40.1 $ 12,536 35.1
Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities	August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Deferred tax assets: Allowance for doubtful accounts $ 687 $ 947 Accrued expenses 7,791 8,142 Warranty 2,118 1,648 Defined benefit pension plan 1,705 1,528 Inventory 1,445 1,935 Share-based compensation 1,146 925 Vacation 741 797 Net operating loss and capital loss carry forwards 3,648 2,868 Deferred revenue 2,716 536 Other 2,074 665 Gross deferred tax assets 24,071 19,991 Valuation allowance (3,759 ) (3,562 ) Net deferred tax assets $ 20,312 $ 16,429 Deferred tax liabilities: Intangible assets $ (6,163 ) $ (6,648 ) Property, plant, and equipment (3,263 ) (4,219 ) Total deferred tax liabilities $ (9,426 ) $ (10,867 ) Net deferred tax assets $ 10,886 $ 5,562
Schedule of Unrecognized Tax Benefits Roll Forward	August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Unrecognized tax benefits at September 1 $ 1,399 $ 1,498 Increases for positions taken in current year 1,457 117 Increases for positions taken in prior years 78 43 Decreases for positions taken in prior years (216 ) (21 ) Reduction resulting from lapse of applicable statute of limitations (329 ) (38 ) Decreases for settlements with tax authorities — (200 ) Unrecognized tax benefits at August 31 $ 2,389 $ 1,399

Inventories (Tables)

Inventories (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Inventories	August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Raw materials and supplies $ 49,047 $ 36,316 Work in process 4,514 9,176 Finished goods and purchased parts 46,812 40,197 Total inventory value before LIFO adjustment 100,373 85,689 Less adjustment to LIFO value (8,086 ) (6,456 ) Inventories, net $ 92,287 $ 79,233

Property, Plant and Equipment (

Property, Plant and Equipment (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]
Schedule of Property, Plant and Equipment	August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Operating property, plant, and equipment: Land $ 2,775 $ 2,799 Buildings 41,284 37,220 Machinery and equipment 77,715 75,635 Furniture and fixtures 7,706 6,632 Computer hardware and software 18,956 16,095 Construction in progress 10,953 6,733 Total operating property, plant, and equipment 159,389 145,114 Accumulated depreciation (102,437 ) (98,191 ) Total operating property, plant, and equipment, net 56,952 46,923 Property held for lease: Machines 8,861 8,214 Barriers 20,445 18,122 Total property held for lease 29,306 26,336 Accumulated depreciation (17,290 ) (16,011 ) Total property held for lease, net 12,016 10,325 Property, plant, and equipment, net $ 68,968 $ 57,248

Goodwill and Other Intangible_2

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Carrying Amount in Goodwill by Segment	($ in thousands) Irrigation Infrastructure Total Balance as of August 31, 2017 $ 60,978 $ 16,153 $ 77,131 Divestiture of businesses (12,294 ) — (12,294 ) Foreign currency translation (93 ) (73 ) (166 ) Balance as of August 31, 2018 48,591 16,080 64,671 Foreign currency translation (24 ) (260 ) (284 ) Balance as of August 31, 2019 $ 48,567 $ 15,820 $ 64,387
Schedule of Intangible Assets and Weighted Average Remaining Life Finite and Infinite Excluding Goodwill	August 31, 2019 2018 Weighted Gross Weighted Gross average carrying Accumulated average carrying Accumulated ($ in thousands) years amount amortization years amount amortization Amortizable intangible assets: Patents and developed technology 4.0 $ 26,547 $ (21,097 ) 5.7 $ 26,831 $ (19,656 ) Customer relationships 3.6 16,439 (9,779 ) 5.2 16,459 (8,668 ) Non-compete agreements 0.4 1,132 (1,107 ) 0.8 1,137 (1,048 ) Other — 110 (110 ) 1.1 110 (85 ) Unamortizable intangible assets: Tradenames N/A 12,247 — N/A 12,297 — Total 3.8 $ 56,475 $ (32,093 ) 5.5 $ 56,834 $ (29,457 )
Schedule of Future Estimated Amortization of Intangible Assets	Fiscal years $ in thousands 2020 $ 2,527 2021 1,866 2022 1,698 2023 1,595 2024 1,595 Thereafter 2,854 $ 12,135

Other Current Liabilities (Tabl

Other Current Liabilities (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Other Liabilities Current	Other Current Liabilities August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Other current liabilities: Contract liabilities $ 14,763 $ 7,306 Employee compensation and benefits 13,960 17,850 Accrued warranty 8,960 7,109 Dealer related liabilities 3,246 2,431 Deferred revenue - lease 2,985 878 Accrued insurance 1,482 2,256 Accrued environmental liability 1,243 1,264 Tax related liabilities 1,469 1,293 Other 4,380 6,548 Total other current liabilities $ 52,488 $ 46,935

Credit Arrangements (Tables)

Credit Arrangements (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Long-Term Debt	Long-term debt consists of the following: August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Series A Senior Notes $ 115,000 $ 115,000 Revolving Credit Facility — — Elecsys Series 2006A Bonds 1,571 1,775 Total debt 116,571 116,775 Less current portion (209 ) (205 ) Less debt issuance costs (516 ) (441 ) Total long-term debt $ 115,846 $ 116,129
Schedule of Principal Payments Due on Long-Term Debt	Principal payments due on the debt are as follows: Due within $ in thousands 1 year $ 209 2 years 213 3 years 217 4 years 221 5 years 226 Thereafter 115,485 $ 116,571

Financial Derivatives (Tables)

Financial Derivatives (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Derivative Instruments And Hedges [Abstract]
Schedule of Financial Derivatives	August 31, ($ in thousands) Balance sheet location 2019 2018 Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: Foreign currency forward contracts Other current assets $ 1,073 $ 775 Total derivatives designated as hedging instruments $ 1,073 $ 775 Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: Foreign currency forward contracts Other current assets $ 39 $ 123 Foreign currency forward contracts Other current liabilities — (12 ) Total derivatives not designated as hedging instruments $ 39 $ 111
Schedule of Derivative Instruments, Effect on Other Comprehensive Income	The amount of loss recognized in OCI on derivatives is as follows: For the years ended August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Foreign currency forward contracts, net of tax expense (benefit) of $564, $498, and ($927) $ (1,964 ) $ (1,103 ) $ 1,710

Fair Value Measurements (Tables

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Schedule of Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value	August 31, 2019 ($ in thousands) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Cash and cash equivalents $ 127,204 $ — $ — $ 127,204 Derivative assets — 1,112 — 1,112 Derivative liabilities — — — — August 31, 2018 ($ in thousands) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Cash and cash equivalents $ 160,787 $ — $ — $ 160,787 Derivative assets — 898 — 898 Derivative liabilities — (12 ) — (12 )

Commitments and Contingencies (

Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Summary of Undiscounted Environmental Remediation Liability Classifications	The following table summarizes the undiscounted environmental remediation liability classifications included in the balance sheet as of August 31, 2019 and 2018: ($ in thousands) August 31, Balance sheet location 2019 2018 Other current liabilities $ 1,243 $ 1,264 Other noncurrent liabilities 14,674 15,319 Total environmental remediation liabilities $ 15,917 $ 16,583
Schedule of Future Minimum Lease Payments	At August 31, 2019, future minimum lease payments under non-cancelable operating leases were as follows: Fiscal years $ in thousands 2020 $ 6,065 2021 5,266 2022 4,771 2023 3,414 2024 3,107 Thereafter 20,119 $ 42,742

Retirement Plans (Tables)

Retirement Plans (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Compensation And Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Amounts Recognized in Balance Sheet	August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Change in benefit obligation: Benefit obligation at beginning of year $ 6,404 $ 6,825 Interest cost 246 243 Actuarial (gain) loss 439 (134 ) Benefits paid (530 ) (530 ) Benefit obligation at end of year $ 6,559 $ 6,404
Schedule of Amounts Recognized in Statement of Financial Position	August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Other current liabilities $ 530 $ 530 Pension benefit liabilities 6,029 5,874 Net amount recognized $ 6,559 $ 6,404
Schedule of Before-tax Amounts Recognized in Accumulated other Comprehensive Loss	August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Net actuarial loss $ (3,801 ) $ (3,561 )
Schedules of Net Periodic Benefit Costs	For the years ended August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Interest cost $ 246 $ 243 $ 236 Net amortization and deferral 199 206 241 Total $ 445 $ 449 $ 477
Schedule of Expected Benefit Payments	Fiscal years $ in thousands 2020 $ 519 2021 512 2022 503 2023 494 2024 485 Thereafter 4,046 $ 6,559

Warranties (Tables)

Warranties (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Product Warranties Disclosures [Abstract]
Schedule of Product Warranty Liability	The following tables provide the changes in the Company’s product warranties: For the years ended August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 Product warranty accrual balance, beginning of period $ 7,109 $ 8,411 Liabilities accrued for warranties during the period 7,263 5,228 Warranty claims paid during the period (5,769 ) (5,848 ) Changes in estimates 357 141 Transfers to liabilities held-for-sale and divested businesses — (823 ) Product warranty accrual balance, end of period $ 8,960 $ 7,109

Industry Segment Information (T

Industry Segment Information (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Schedule of Segment Reporting Information, by Segment	($ in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Operating revenues: Irrigation: North America $ 218,627 $ 294,617 $ 340,660 International 132,871 145,241 77,381 Irrigation total 351,498 439,858 418,041 Infrastructure 92,574 107,847 99,944 Total operating revenues $ 444,072 $ 547,705 $ 517,985 Operating income: Irrigation $ 29,804 $ 41,933 $ 42,774 Infrastructure 16,599 23,857 20,131 Corporate (40,288 ) (26,778 ) (22,256 ) Total operating income 6,115 39,012 40,649 Interest and other expense, net (4,008 ) (5,159 ) (4,934 ) Earnings before income taxes $ 2,107 $ 33,853 $ 35,715 Total capital expenditures: Irrigation $ 9,473 $ 9,259 $ 6,313 Infrastructure 4,928 938 1,562 Corporate 8,810 857 988 $ 23,211 $ 11,054 $ 8,863 Depreciation and amortization: Irrigation $ 9,500 $ 11,412 $ 11,840 Infrastructure 3,663 4,611 4,452 Corporate 855 491 386 $ 14,018 $ 16,514 $ 16,678 Total assets: Irrigation $ 292,202 $ 277,712 $ 337,446 Infrastructure 85,848 69,919 80,187 Corporate 122,264 152,184 88,399 $ 500,314 $ 499,815 $ 506,032
Schedule of Revenue and Long-Lived Assets by Geographical Areas	For the years ended August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Revenues % of total Revenues % of total Revenues % of total United States $ 257,719 58 $ 321,698 59 $ 297,261 57 International 186,353 42 226,007 41 220,724 43 Total revenues $ 444,072 100 $ 547,705 100 $ 517,985 100 For the years ended August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Long-lived tangible assets % of total Long-lived tangible assets % of total Long-lived tangible assets % of total United States $ 52,187 76 $ 39,290 69 $ 54,199 73 International 16,781 24 17,958 31 20,299 27 Total long-lived assets $ 68,968 100 $ 57,248 100 $ 74,498 100

Shared-Based Compensation (Tabl

Shared-Based Compensation (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Schedule of Share-Based Compensation Expense	The following table summarizes share-based compensation expense for fiscal 2019, 2018, and 2017: For the years ended August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Share-based compensation expense included in cost of operating revenues $ 105 $ 113 $ 231 Research and development 221 150 162 Sales and marketing 250 461 397 General and administrative 3,819 3,169 2,807 Share-based compensation expense included in operating expenses 4,290 3,780 3,366 Total share-based compensation expense 4,395 3,893 3,597 Tax benefit (1,033 ) (1,090 ) (1,338 ) Share-based compensation expense, net of tax $ 3,362 $ 2,803 $ 2,259
Schedule of Assumptions Used	The fair value of stock option awards is estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The table below shows the annual weighted average assumptions used for valuation purposes. Grant year Fiscal 2019 Fiscal 2018 Risk-free interest rate 3.1 % 2.2 % Dividend yield 1.4 % 1.3 % Expected life (years) 6 7 Volatility 26.3 % 33.9 % Weighted average grant-date fair value of options granted $ 24.71 $ 30.72
Summary of Stock Option Activity	The following table summarizes stock option activity for fiscal 2019: Number of stock options Average exercise price Average remaining contractual term (years) Aggregate intrinsic value (thousands) Stock options outstanding at August 31, 2018 76,803 $ 82.06 7.7 $ 1,053 Granted 38,337 91.82 Exercised (2,579 ) 68.48 93 Stock options outstanding at August 31, 2019 112,561 $ 85.70 7.6 $ 540 Stock options exercisable at August 31, 2019 38,386 $ 77.90 5.8 $ 427
Summary of Share Based Compensation Additional Information	Additional information regarding stock option exercises is summarized in the table below. For the years ended August 31, ($ in thousands) 2019 2018 2017 Intrinsic value of stock options exercised $ 93 $ 538 $ 681 Cash received from stock option exercises $ 177 $ 2,788 $ 3,020 Tax benefit realized from stock option exercises $ 26 $ 151 $ 254 Weighted average grant-date fair value of stock options vested $ 32.66 $ 31.37 $ 35.79
Summary of Restricted Stock Unit Activity	The following table summarizes restricted stock unit activity for fiscal 2019: Number of restricted stock units Weighted average grant- date fair value Restricted stock units outstanding at August 31, 2018 90,609 $ 84.38 Granted 36,693 89.76 Vested (40,655 ) 83.68 Forfeited / Cancelled (7,305 ) 89.54 Restricted stock units outstanding at August 31, 2019 79,342 $ 87.49
Schedule of Performance Stock Unit Activity	The table below summarizes performance stock unit activity for fiscal 2019: Number of performance stock units Weighted average grant- date fair value Performance stock units outstanding at August 31, 2018 19,952 $ 80.99 Granted 20,631 98.03 Forfeited / cancelled (3,154 ) 64.37 Performance stock units outstanding at August 31, 2019 37,429 $ 85.10
Schedule of Assumptions Used to Estimate Fair Value of TSR Portion of Awards Granted	The fair value of the TSR portion of the awards granted in fiscal 2019 was estimated at the grant date using a Monte Carlo simulation model which included the following assumptions: Expected term (years) 3 Risk-free interest rate 2.9 % Volatility 27.3 % Dividend yield 1.4 %

Quarterly Results of Operatio_2

Quarterly Results of Operations (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Quarterly Results	First Second Third Fourth ($ in thousands, except per share amounts) Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter Year ended August 31, 2019 Operating revenues $ 111,951 $ 109,182 $ 121,054 $ 101,885 Cost of operating revenues $ 83,303 $ 84,708 $ 91,055 $ 70,398 Earnings (loss) before income taxes $ 1,681 $ (5,068 ) $ 3,229 $ 2,265 Net earnings (loss) $ 1,212 $ (3,440 ) $ 2,897 $ 1,503 Diluted net earnings (loss) per share $ 0.11 $ (0.32 ) $ 0.27 $ 0.14 Year ended August 31, 2018 Operating revenues $ 124,526 $ 130,339 $ 169,571 $ 123,269 Cost of operating revenues $ 92,129 $ 95,023 $ 118,093 $ 90,998 Earnings before income taxes $ 4,792 $ 5,676 $ 17,445 $ 5,940 Net earnings $ 3,185 $ 1,735 $ 10,379 $ 4,978 Diluted net earnings per share $ 0.30 $ 0.16 $ 0.96 $ 0.46

Description of Business and S_3

Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies (Narrative) (Details) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019USD ($)Segment	Aug. 31, 2018USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2017USD ($)
Description Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of reportable segments | Segment	2
Allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 2,600	$ 3,600
Impairments	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
Building [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Description Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Useful life	15 years
Building [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Description Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Useful life	40 years
Equipment [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Description Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Useful life	3 years
Equipment [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Description Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Useful life	7 years
Leased Barrier Transfer Machines [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Description Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Useful life	8 years
Leased Barrier Transfer Machines [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Description Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Useful life	10 years
Computer Hardware and Software [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Description Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Useful life	3 years
Computer Hardware and Software [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Description Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Useful life	5 years
Leased Barriers [Member]
Description Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Useful life	12 years
Other [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Description Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Useful life	2 years
Other [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Description Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Useful life	20 years

New Accounting Pronouncements (

New Accounting Pronouncements (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Nov. 30, 2018	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017	Sep. 01, 2018
New Accounting Pronouncements Or Change In Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Retained earnings		$ 474,740	$ 484,886
Net periodic pension cost		445	449	$ 477
ASU 2016-02 [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements Or Change In Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Right of use asset		25,600
Lease liability		29,400
ASC Topic 606 [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements Or Change In Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Retained earnings					$ 485,418
ASC Topic 606 [Member] | Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606 [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements Or Change In Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Retained earnings		$ (3,153)	532
ASU No. 2017-07 [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements Or Change In Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Net periodic pension cost			$ 400	$ 400
ASU No. 2018-02 [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements Or Change In Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Tax reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings due to tax reform	$ 500

Revenue Recognition (Summary of

Revenue Recognition (Summary of Impacts of ASU on Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2019	Sep. 01, 2018	Aug. 31, 2018
Revenue Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Inventories, net	$ 92,287		$ 79,233
Other current assets	15,704		11,087
Other current liabilities	52,488		46,935
Deferred income tax liabilities	872		1,083
Retained earnings	474,740		484,886
ASC Topic 606 [Member]
Revenue Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Inventories, net		$ 78,291
Other current assets		12,738
Other current liabilities		46,949
Deferred income tax liabilities		1,246
Retained earnings		$ 485,418
ASC Topic 606 Adjustments [Member] | ASC Topic 606 [Member]
Revenue Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Inventories, net	3,729		(942)
Other current assets	(1,170)		1,651
Other current liabilities	5,711		14
Deferred income tax liabilities			163
Retained earnings	(3,153)		$ 532
Balance Without Adoption of ASC Topic 606 [Member] | ASC Topic 606 [Member]
Revenue Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Inventories, net	96,016
Other current assets	14,534
Other current liabilities	58,199
Retained earnings	$ 471,587

Revenue Recognition (Summary _2

Revenue Recognition (Summary of Impacts of ASU on Condensed Consolidated Statement of Earnings) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	May 31, 2019	Feb. 28, 2019	Nov. 30, 2018	Aug. 31, 2018	May 31, 2018	Feb. 28, 2018	Nov. 30, 2017	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Statement of Earnings
Operating revenues	$ 101,885	$ 121,054	$ 109,182	$ 111,951	$ 123,269	$ 169,571	$ 130,339	$ 124,526	$ 444,072	$ 547,705	$ 517,985
Operating income									6,115	$ 39,012	$ 40,649
ASC Topic 606 Adjustments [Member] | ASC Topic 606 [Member]
Statement of Earnings
Operating revenues									(6,359)
Operating income									(3,410)
Balance Without Adoption of ASC Topic 606 [Member] | ASC Topic 606 [Member]
Statement of Earnings
Operating revenues									437,713
Operating income									$ 2,705

Revenue Recognition (Narrative)

Revenue Recognition (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Unsatisfied performance obligation amount	$ 7
Contract assets		$ 0.5
Revenue recognized	8
Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606 [Member] | ASC Topic 606 [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Contract assets	1.1
Other Current Assets [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Contract assets	1.3
Other Current and Noncurrent Liabilities [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Contract liabilities	$ 18.4

Revenue Recognition (Schedule o

Revenue Recognition (Schedule of Disaggregation of Revenue by Segment) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	May 31, 2019	Feb. 28, 2019	Nov. 30, 2018	Aug. 31, 2018	May 31, 2018	Feb. 28, 2018	Nov. 30, 2017	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from the contracts with customers									$ 436,320
Lease revenue									7,752
Operating revenues	$ 101,885	$ 121,054	$ 109,182	$ 111,951	$ 123,269	$ 169,571	$ 130,339	$ 124,526	444,072	$ 547,705	$ 517,985
Irrigation [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from the contracts with customers									351,498
Lease revenue									0
Operating revenues									351,498	439,858	418,041
Infrastructure [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from the contracts with customers									84,822
Lease revenue									7,752
Operating revenues									92,574	$ 107,847	$ 99,944
Point in Time [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from the contracts with customers									397,312
Point in Time [Member] | Irrigation [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from the contracts with customers									318,544
Point in Time [Member] | Infrastructure [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from the contracts with customers									78,768
Over Time [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from the contracts with customers									39,008
Over Time [Member] | Irrigation [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from the contracts with customers									32,954
Over Time [Member] | Infrastructure [Member]
Disaggregation Of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue from the contracts with customers									$ 6,054

Divestitures and Held-For-Sal_2

Divestitures and Held-For-Sale (Narrative) (Details) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2018USD ($)Facility
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Loss on sale of businesses	$ 301	$ 4,056
North America [Member] | Infrastructure [Member]
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Number of manufacturing facilities closed | Facility		1
General and Administrative Expense [Member]
Income Statement Balance Sheet And Additional Disclosures By Disposal Groups Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Loss on sale of businesses		$ 4,100

Schedule of Carrying Amounts of

Schedule of Carrying Amounts of Major classes of Assets and Liabilities Classified as Held-for-Sale (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Discontinued Operations And Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Receivables, net of allowance of $0 and $244, respectively		$ 3,473
Inventories, net		3,676
Property, plant, and equipment, net	$ 2,744	3,637
Intangibles, net		51
Total assets	2,744	10,837
Accounts payable		1,476
Other current liabilities		948
Total liabilities		2,424
Net assets	$ 2,744	$ 8,413

Schedule of Carrying Amounts _2

Schedule of Carrying Amounts of Major classes of Assets and Liabilities Classified as Held-for-Sale (Parenthetical) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Discontinued Operations And Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Receivables, allowance	$ 0	$ 244

Net Earnings Per Share (Schedul

Net Earnings Per Share (Schedule of Computation of Basic and Diluted Net Earnings Per Share) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	May 31, 2019	Feb. 28, 2019	Nov. 30, 2018	Aug. 31, 2018	May 31, 2018	Feb. 28, 2018	Nov. 30, 2017	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net earnings	$ 1,503	$ 2,897	$ (3,440)	$ 1,212	$ 4,978	$ 10,379	$ 1,735	$ 3,185	$ 2,172	$ 20,277	$ 23,179
Weighted average shares outstanding									10,781	10,741	10,666
Diluted effect of stock equivalents									29	31	28
Weighted average shares outstanding assuming dilution									10,810	10,772	10,694
Basic net earnings per share									$ 0.20	$ 1.89	$ 2.17
Diluted net earnings per share	$ 0.14	$ 0.27	$ (0.32)	$ 0.11	$ 0.46	$ 0.96	$ 0.16	$ 0.30	$ 0.20	$ 1.88	$ 2.17

Net Earnings Per Share (Sched_2

Net Earnings Per Share (Schedule of Anti-dilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share) (Details) - shares shares in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Restricted Stock Units [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Anti-dilutive securities excluded from the computation of earnings per share	8	19	10
Stock Options [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Anti-dilutive securities excluded from the computation of earnings per share	72	65	108
Performance Stock Units [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Anti-dilutive securities excluded from the computation of earnings per share	5	0	0

Accumulated Other Comprehensi_3

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (Schedule of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss [Abstract]
Defined benefit pension plan, net of tax benefit of $885 and $1,362	$ (2,916)	$ (2,199)
Foreign currency translation, net of hedging activities, net of tax expense of $3,202 and $2,686	(16,931)	(15,889)
Total accumulated other comprehensive loss	$ (19,847)	$ (18,088)	$ (12,108)

Accumulated Other Comprehensi_4

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (Schedule of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss) (Details) (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss [Abstract]
Defined benefit pension tax	$ 885	$ 1,362
Foreign currency adjustment tax	$ 3,202	$ 2,686

Accumulated Other Comprehensi_5

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (Roll Forward of Balances in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Balance	$ (18,088)	$ (12,108)
Current period change	(1,759)	(5,980)
Balance	(19,847)	(18,088)
Defined Benefit Pension Plan Adjustment [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Balance	(2,199)	(2,450)
Current period change	(717)	251
Balance	(2,916)	(2,199)
Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Balance	(15,889)	(9,658)
Current period change	(1,042)	(6,231)
Balance	$ (16,931)	$ (15,889)

Income Taxes (Schedule of Earni

Income Taxes (Schedule of Earnings Before Income Taxes) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	May 31, 2019	Feb. 28, 2019	Nov. 30, 2018	Aug. 31, 2018	May 31, 2018	Feb. 28, 2018	Nov. 30, 2017	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
United States									$ (1,949)	$ 25,116	$ 21,969
Foreign									4,056	8,737	13,746
Earnings before income taxes	$ 2,265	$ 3,229	$ (5,068)	$ 1,681	$ 5,940	$ 17,445	$ 5,676	$ 4,792	$ 2,107	$ 33,853	$ 35,715

Income Taxes (Schedule of Signi

Income Taxes (Schedule of Significant Components of Income Tax Provision) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Federal, Current	$ 2,190	$ 9,313	$ 7,873
State, Current	324	1,047	781
Foreign, Current	3,107	3,266	4,785
Total Current	5,621	13,626	13,439
Federal, Deferred	(3,209)	517	(688)
State, Deferred	(624)	(47)	(43)
Foreign, Deferred	(1,853)	(520)	(172)
Total Deferred	(5,686)	(50)	(903)
Total income tax provision	$ (65)	$ 13,576	$ 12,536

Income Taxes (Schedule of Effec

Income Taxes (Schedule of Effective income Tax Rate Reconciliation) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
U.S. statutory rate	$ 443	$ 8,700	$ 12,500
State and local taxes, net of federal tax benefit	(379)	743	480
Foreign tax rate differences	164	809	(486)
U.S. tax reform	160	2,496	0
Deferred tax asset valuation allowance	142	758	(21)
Domestic production activities deduction	0	(727)	(700)
Federal credits	(338)	(375)	(288)
Uncertain tax benefits	(153)	198	264
Other	(104)	974	787
Total income tax provision	$ (65)	$ 13,576	$ 12,536
U.S statutory rate, percentage	21.00%	25.70%	35.00%
State and local taxes, net of federal tax benefit, percentage	(18.00%)	2.20%	1.30%
Foreign tax rate differences, percentage	7.80%	2.40%	(1.40%)
U.S. tax reform, percentage	7.60%	7.40%
Deferred tax asset valuation allowance, percentage	6.70%	2.20%	(0.10%)
Domestic production activities deduction, percentage		(2.10%)	(2.00%)
Federal Credits, percentage	(16.00%)	(1.10%)	(0.80%)
Uncertain Tax Benefits, percentage	(7.30%)	0.60%	0.70%
Other, percentage	(4.90%)	2.90%	2.20%
Effective rate, percentage	(3.10%)	40.10%	35.10%

Income Taxes (Schedule of Defer

Income Taxes (Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Deferred Tax Assets, Allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 687	$ 947
Deferred Tax Assets, Accrued expenses	7,791	8,142
Deferred Tax Assets, Warranty	2,118	1,648
Deferred Tax Assets, Defined benefit pension plan	1,705	1,528
Deferred Tax Assets, Inventory	1,445	1,935
Deferred Tax Assets, Share-based compensation	1,146	925
Deferred Tax Assets, Vacation	741	797
Deferred Tax Assets, Net operating loss and capital loss carryforwards	3,648	2,868
Deferred Tax Assets, Deferred revenue	2,716	536
Deferred Tax Assets, Other	2,074	665
Gross deferred tax assets	24,071	19,991
Deferred Tax Assets, Valuation allowance	(3,759)	(3,562)
Net deferred tax assets	20,312	16,429
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Intangible assets	(6,163)	(6,648)
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Property, plant and equipment	(3,263)	(4,219)
Total deferred tax liabilities	(9,426)	(10,867)
Net deferred tax assets	$ 10,886	$ 5,562

Income Taxes (Narrative) (Detai

Income Taxes (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Valuation allowance	$ 3,759	$ 3,562
Unrecognized tax benefits that would impact effective tax rate	600	1,100
Accrued interest and penalties	$ 1,100	1,000
Maximum [Member]
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Percentage of Recognized largest amount benefit realized upon settlement	50.00%
Statutes of limitation range period	5 years
Minimum [Member]
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Statutes of limitation range period	3 years
Filtration Business [Member]
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Valuation allowance	$ 1,400	1,200
Certain Foreign Tax Jurisdiction [Member]
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Valuation allowance	$ 2,400	$ 2,400

Income Taxes (Schedule of Unrec

Income Taxes (Schedule of Unrecognized Tax Benefits Roll Forward) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Unrecognized tax benefits, beginning balance	$ 1,399	$ 1,498
Increases for positions taken in current year	1,457	117
Increases for positions taken in prior years	78	43
Decreases for positions taken in prior years	(216)	(21)
Reduction resulting from lapse of applicable statute of limitations	(329)	(38)
Decreases for settlements with tax authorities		(200)
Unrecognized tax benefits, ending balance	$ 2,389	$ 1,399

Inventories (Schedule of Invent

Inventories (Schedule of Inventories) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Raw materials and supplies	$ 49,047	$ 36,316
Work in process	4,514	9,176
Finished goods and purchased parts	46,812	40,197
Total inventory value before LIFO adjustment	100,373	85,689
Less adjustment to LIFO value	(8,086)	(6,456)
Inventories, net	$ 92,287	$ 79,233

Property, Plant and Equipment_2

Property, Plant and Equipment (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total operating property, plant and equipment	$ 159,389	$ 145,114
Accumulated depreciation	(102,437)	(98,191)
Total operating property, plant, and equipment, net	56,952	46,923
Machines	8,861	8,214
Barriers	20,445	18,122
Total property held for lease	29,306	26,336
Accumulated depreciation	(17,290)	(16,011)
Total property held for lease, net	12,016	10,325
Property, plant, and equipment, net	68,968	57,248
Land [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total operating property, plant and equipment	2,775	2,799
Building [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total operating property, plant and equipment	41,284	37,220
Machinery And Equipment [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total operating property, plant and equipment	77,715	75,635
Furniture and Fixtures [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total operating property, plant and equipment	7,706	6,632
Computer Hardware and Software [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total operating property, plant and equipment	18,956	16,095
Construction in Progress [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total operating property, plant and equipment	$ 10,953	$ 6,733

Property, Plant and Equipment_3

Property, Plant and Equipment (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]
Depreciation expense	$ 11.1	$ 12.5	$ 12.2

Goodwill and Other Intangible_3

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Carrying Amount in Goodwill by Segments) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill, Beginning Balance	$ 64,671	$ 77,131
Divestiture of businesses		(12,294)
Foreign currency translation	(284)	(166)
Goodwill, Ending Balance	64,387	64,671
Irrigation [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill, Beginning Balance	48,591	60,978
Divestiture of businesses		(12,294)
Foreign currency translation	(24)	(93)
Goodwill, Ending Balance	48,567	48,591
Infrastructure [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill, Beginning Balance	16,080	16,153
Foreign currency translation	(260)	(73)
Goodwill, Ending Balance	$ 15,820	$ 16,080

Goodwill and Other Intangible_4

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Schedule of Intangible Assets and Weighted Average Remaining Life Finite and Infinite Excluding Goodwill) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Finite And Indefinite Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortizable intangible assets: weighted average years	3 years 9 months 18 days	5 years 6 months
Total, gross carrying amount	$ 56,475	$ 56,834
Amortizable intangible assets: accumulated amortization	(32,093)	(29,457)
Tradenames [Member]
Finite And Indefinite Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Unamortizable intangible assets: gross carrying amount	$ 12,247	$ 12,297
Patents and Developed Technology [Member]
Finite And Indefinite Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortizable intangible assets: weighted average years	4 years	5 years 8 months 12 days
Amortizable intangible assets: gross carrying amount	$ 26,547	$ 26,831
Amortizable intangible assets: accumulated amortization	$ (21,097)	$ (19,656)
Customer Relationships [Member]
Finite And Indefinite Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortizable intangible assets: weighted average years	3 years 7 months 6 days	5 years 2 months 12 days
Amortizable intangible assets: gross carrying amount	$ 16,439	$ 16,459
Amortizable intangible assets: accumulated amortization	$ (9,779)	$ (8,668)
Non-compete Agreements [Member]
Finite And Indefinite Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortizable intangible assets: weighted average years	4 months 24 days	9 months 18 days
Amortizable intangible assets: gross carrying amount	$ 1,132	$ 1,137
Amortizable intangible assets: accumulated amortization	$ (1,107)	$ (1,048)
Other Intangible Assets [Member]
Finite And Indefinite Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortizable intangible assets: weighted average years	0 years	1 year 1 month 6 days
Amortizable intangible assets: gross carrying amount	$ 110	$ 110
Amortizable intangible assets: accumulated amortization	$ (110)	$ (85)

Goodwill and Other Intangible_5

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Amortization expense	$ 2,900,000	$ 4,000,000	$ 4,400,000
Goodwill impairment	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0

Goodwill and Other Intangible_6

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Schedule of Future Estimated Amortization of Intangible Assets) (Details) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2019USD ($)
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
2020	$ 2,527
2021	1,866
2022	1,698
2023	1,595
2024	1,595
Thereafter	2,854
Total	$ 12,135

Other Current Liabilities (Sche

Other Current Liabilities (Schedule of Other Liabilities Current) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]
Contract liabilities	$ 14,763	$ 7,306
Employee compensation and benefits	13,960	17,850
Accrued warranty	8,960	7,109
Dealer related liabilities	3,246	2,431
Deferred revenue - lease	2,985	878
Accrued insurance	1,482	2,256
Accrued environmental liability	1,243	1,264
Tax related liabilities	1,469	1,293
Other	4,380	6,548
Total other current liabilities	$ 52,488	$ 46,935

Credit Arrangements (Narrative)

Credit Arrangements (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt	$ 116,571,000	$ 116,775,000
Elecsys Series 2006A Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt	$ 1,571,000	1,775,000
Maturity date	Sep. 1, 2026
Effective interest rate	1.92%
Basis points	0.45%
Interest rate adjustment period	5 years
Elecsys Series 2006A Bond Adjusted Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity date	Sep. 1, 2021
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt	$ 0	0
Maturity date	May 31, 2022
Unsecured revolving line of credit, maximum borrowing capacity outstanding	$ 50,000,000
Unsecured revolving line of credit, amount outstanding	0	0
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity	$ 50,000,000
Effective interest rate	2.90%
Annual commitment fee	0.25%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis points	0.90%
Series A Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt	$ 115,000,000	$ 115,000,000
Face amount	$ 115,000,000
Maturity date	Feb. 19, 2030
Interest rate	3.82%
Current leverage ratio	3
Maximum permitted funded debt to EBITDA leverage ratio through fiscal quarter ending May 31, 2020	3.5
Maximum [Member] | Series A Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Percentage increase in interest rate if leverage ratio exceed permitted ratio	0.50%

Credit Arrangements (Schedule o

Credit Arrangements (Schedule of Long-Term Debt) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 116,571	$ 116,775
Less current portion	(209)	(205)
Less debt issuance costs	(516)	(441)
Total long-term debt	115,846	116,129
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	0	0
Elecsys Series 2006A Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	1,571	1,775
Series A Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total debt	$ 115,000	$ 115,000

Credit Arrangements (Schedule_2

Credit Arrangements (Schedule of Principal Payments Due on Long-Term Debt) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
1 year	$ 209
2 years	213
3 years	217
4 years	221
5 years	226
Thereafter	115,485
Total debt	$ 116,571	$ 116,775

Financial Derivatives (Schedule

Financial Derivatives (Schedule of Financial Derivatives) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Derivatives Designated As Hedging Instruments [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Total derivatives	$ 1,073	$ 775
Derivatives Designated As Hedging Instruments [Member] | Other Current Assets [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative assets	1,073	775
Derivatives Not Designated As Hedging Instruments [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Total derivatives	39	111
Derivatives Not Designated As Hedging Instruments [Member] | Other Current Assets [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative assets	$ 39	123
Derivatives Not Designated As Hedging Instruments [Member] | Other Current Liabilities [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative liabilities		$ (12)

Financial Derivatives (Narrativ

Financial Derivatives (Narrative) (Details) € in Millions, R in Millions, $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2018USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2017USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2019EUR (€)	Aug. 31, 2019ZAR (R)	Aug. 31, 2018EUR (€)	Aug. 31, 2018ZAR (R)
Foreign Exchange Forward [Member] | Derivatives Not Designated As Hedging Instruments [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Outstanding foreign currency forward contracts	$ 1.8	$ 5
Fair Value Hedging [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Realized and unrealized gains, net of related income tax effects	7	5	$ 3.9
Net Investment Hedging [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Foreign currency translation forward contracts, after tax net gain (loss)	(0.6)	(0.5)	(0.9)
Derivative contracts ineffective amount	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
Outstanding foreign currency forward contracts				€ 32.7	R 43	€ 32.7	R 43

Financial Derivatives (Schedu_2

Financial Derivatives (Schedule of Derivative Instruments, Effect on Other Comprehensive Income) (Details) - Foreign Currency Forward Contracts [Member] - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Foreign currency forward contracts, net of tax expense (benefit) of $564, $498, and ($927)	$ (1,964)	$ (1,103)	$ 1,710
Tax (benefit) expense	$ 564	$ 498	$ (927)

Fair Value Measurements (Schedu

Fair Value Measurements (Schedule of Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 127,204	$ 160,787
Derivative assets	1,112	898
Derivative liabilities	0	(12)
Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	127,204	160,787
Derivative assets	0	0
Derivative liabilities	0	0
Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Derivative assets	1,112	898
Derivative liabilities	0	(12)
Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Derivative assets	0	0
Derivative liabilities	$ 0	$ 0

Fair Value Measurements (Narrat

Fair Value Measurements (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Carrying amount, long-term debt (including current portion)	$ 116.6	$ 116.8
Fair value of the long-term debt	$ 120.8	$ 107.3

Commitments and Contingencies_2

Commitments and Contingencies (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Lease expense	$ 5.4	$ 5	$ 5.1
Lindsay, Nebraska Facility [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Current environmental remediation accrual	$ 15.9

Commitments and Contingencies_3

Commitments and Contingencies (Summary of Undiscounted Environmental Remediation Liability Classifications) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Other current liabilities	$ 1,243	$ 1,264
Other noncurrent liabilities	14,674	15,319
Total environmental remediation liabilities	$ 15,917	$ 16,583

Commitments and Contingencies_4

Commitments and Contingencies (Schedule of Future Minimum Lease Payments) (Details) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2019USD ($)
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
2020	$ 6,065
2021	5,266
2022	4,771
2023	3,414
2024	3,107
Thereafter	20,119
Total	$ 42,742

Retirement Plans (Narrative) (D

Retirement Plans (Narrative) (Details) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2020USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2019USD ($)item	Aug. 31, 2018USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2017USD ($)
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Employer contributions		$ 1,200	$ 1,700	$ 1,700
Number of former executives | item		5
Number of highest compensation years | item		3
Discount rate, liability		3.30%	4.00%
Discount Rate, net periodic benefit cost		4.00%	3.70%	3.30%
Actuarial loss		$ (439)	$ 134
Scenario, Forecast [Member] | Supplemental Employee Retirement Plans, Defined Benefit [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Actuarial loss	$ 200

Retirement Plans (Schedule of A

Retirement Plans (Schedule of Amounts Recognized in Balance Sheet) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Compensation And Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Benefit obligation at beginning of year	$ 6,404	$ 6,825
Interest cost	246	243	$ 236
Actuarial (gain) loss	439	(134)
Benefits paid	(530)	(530)
Benefit obligation at end of year	$ 6,559	$ 6,404	$ 6,825

Retirement Plans (Schedule of_2

Retirement Plans (Schedule of Amounts Recognized in Statement of Financial Position) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Compensation And Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Other current liabilities	$ 530	$ 530
Pension benefit liabilities	6,029	5,874
Net amount recognized	$ 6,559	$ 6,404	$ 6,825

Retirement Plans (Schedule of B

Retirement Plans (Schedule of Before-tax Amounts Recognized in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Compensation And Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Net actuarial loss	$ (3,801)	$ (3,561)

Retirement Plans (Schedules of

Retirement Plans (Schedules of Net Benefit Costs) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Compensation And Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Interest cost	$ 246	$ 243	$ 236
Net amortization and deferral	199	206	241
Total	$ 445	$ 449	$ 477

Retirement Plans (Schedule of E

Retirement Plans (Schedule of Expected Benefit Payments) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Compensation And Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
2020	$ 519
2021	512
2022	503
2023	494
2024	485
Thereafter	4,046
Net amount recognized	$ 6,559	$ 6,404	$ 6,825

Warranties (Schedule of Product

Warranties (Schedule of Product Warranty Liability) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Product Warranties Disclosures [Abstract]
Product warranty accrual balance, beginning of period	$ 7,109	$ 8,411
Liabilities accrued for warranties during the period	7,263	5,228
Warranty claims paid during the period	(5,769)	(5,848)
Changes in estimates	357	141
Transfers to liabilities held-for-sale and divested businesses		(823)
Product warranty accrual balance, end of period	$ 8,960	$ 7,109

Warranties (Narrative) (Details

Warranties (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Product Warranties Disclosures [Abstract]
Warranty costs	$ 7.6	$ 5.4	$ 7.3

Industry Segment Information (N

Industry Segment Information (Narrative) (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019Segmentcustomer	Aug. 31, 2018customer	Aug. 31, 2017customer
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of reportable segments	2
Customer Concentration Risk [Member] | Sales Revenue, Net [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Concentration risk, percentage	10.00%	10.00%	10.00%
Number of major customers | customer	0	0	0
Irrigation [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of operating segments	1
Infrastructure [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of operating segments	1

Industry Segment Information (S

Industry Segment Information (Schedule of Segment Reporting Information, by Segment) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	May 31, 2019	Feb. 28, 2019	Nov. 30, 2018	Aug. 31, 2018	May 31, 2018	Feb. 28, 2018	Nov. 30, 2017	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total operating revenues	$ 101,885	$ 121,054	$ 109,182	$ 111,951	$ 123,269	$ 169,571	$ 130,339	$ 124,526	$ 444,072	$ 547,705	$ 517,985
Total operating income									6,115	39,012	40,649
Interest and other expense, net									(4,008)	(5,159)	(4,934)
Earnings before income taxes									2,107	33,853	35,715
Capital expenditures									23,211	11,054	8,863
Depreciation and amortization									14,018	16,514	16,678
Total Assets	500,314				499,815				500,314	499,815	506,032
Irrigation [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total operating revenues									351,498	439,858	418,041
Total operating income									29,804	41,933	42,774
Capital expenditures									9,473	9,259	6,313
Depreciation and amortization									9,500	11,412	11,840
Total Assets	292,202				277,712				292,202	277,712	337,446
Irrigation [Member] | North America [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total operating revenues									218,627	294,617	340,660
Irrigation [Member] | International [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total operating revenues									132,871	145,241	77,381
Infrastructure [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total operating revenues									92,574	107,847	99,944
Total operating income									16,599	23,857	20,131
Capital expenditures									4,928	938	1,562
Depreciation and amortization									3,663	4,611	4,452
Total Assets	85,848				69,919				85,848	69,919	80,187
Corporate Segment
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total operating income									(40,288)	(26,778)	(22,256)
Capital expenditures									8,810	857	988
Depreciation and amortization									855	491	386
Total Assets	$ 122,264				$ 152,184				$ 122,264	$ 152,184	$ 88,399

Industry Segment Information _2

Industry Segment Information (Schedule of Revenue by Geographical Areas) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	May 31, 2019	Feb. 28, 2019	Nov. 30, 2018	Aug. 31, 2018	May 31, 2018	Feb. 28, 2018	Nov. 30, 2017	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Total Revenues	$ 101,885	$ 121,054	$ 109,182	$ 111,951	$ 123,269	$ 169,571	$ 130,339	$ 124,526	$ 444,072	$ 547,705	$ 517,985
Revenues [Member]
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Total Revenues									$ 444,072	$ 547,705	$ 517,985
Percentage									100.00%	100.00%	100.00%
Revenues [Member] | United States [Member]
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Total Revenues									$ 257,719	$ 321,698	$ 297,261
Percentage									58.00%	59.00%	57.00%
Revenues [Member] | International [Member]
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Total Revenues									$ 186,353	$ 226,007	$ 220,724
Percentage									42.00%	41.00%	43.00%
Long-Lived Tangible Assets [Member]
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Percentage									100.00%	100.00%	100.00%
Long-lived tangible assets	68,968				57,248				$ 68,968	$ 57,248	$ 74,498
Long-Lived Tangible Assets [Member] | United States [Member]
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Percentage									76.00%	69.00%	73.00%
Long-lived tangible assets	52,187				39,290				$ 52,187	$ 39,290	$ 54,199
Long-Lived Tangible Assets [Member] | International [Member]
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Percentage									24.00%	31.00%	27.00%
Long-lived tangible assets	$ 16,781				$ 17,958				$ 16,781	$ 17,958	$ 20,299

Share-Based Compensation (Narra

Share-Based Compensation (Narrative) (Details) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019USD ($)itemshares	Aug. 31, 2018USD ($)shares	Aug. 31, 2017USD ($)shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Pre-tax total unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested share-based compensation | $	$ 6,300
Weighted average period to be recognized	1 year 9 months 18 days
Outstanding stock options vested	15,496	27,811	25,285
Shares outstanding	112,561	76,803
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense | $	$ 4,395	$ 3,893	$ 3,597
Restricted Stock Units [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	3 years
Percentage vested per year	33.00%
Fair value vested | $	$ 4,100	$ 3,200
Number of shares vested	40,655
Restricted Stock Units Settled In Cash [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares outstanding	4,103	6,474	6,709
Performance Stock Units [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	3 years
Number of shares vested	0	0	0
Performance Stock Units [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Percentage of awards actually earned	0.00%
Performance Stock Units [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Percentage of awards actually earned	200.00%
Performance Stock Units [Member] | Defined Performance Goal Not Met [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense | $	$ 0
2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Plan effective date	Jan. 26, 2015
Maximum number of shares authorized	626,968
Number of shares available	393,145
Stock award ratio | item	1
2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan [Member] | Stock Options [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock option expire, years	10 years
Vesting period	4 years
Percentage vested per year	25.00%
Non Employee Directors [Member] | Restricted Stock Units [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period	9 months

Share-Based Compensation (Sched

Share-Based Compensation (Schedule of Share-Based Compensation Expense) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total share-based compensation expense	$ 4,395	$ 3,893	$ 3,597
Tax benefit	(1,033)	(1,090)	(1,338)
Share-based compensation expense, net of tax	3,362	2,803	2,259
Cost Of Operating Revenues [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total share-based compensation expense	105	113	231
Research and Development [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total share-based compensation expense	221	150	162
Sales and Marketing [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total share-based compensation expense	250	461	397
General and Administrative [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total share-based compensation expense	3,819	3,169	2,807
Operating Expenses [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total share-based compensation expense	$ 4,290	$ 3,780	$ 3,366

Share-Based Compensation (Sch_2

Share-Based Compensation (Schedule of Assumptions Used) (Details) - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Risk-free interest rate	3.10%	2.20%
Dividend yield	1.40%	1.30%
Expected life (years)	6 years	7 years
Volatility	26.30%	33.90%
Weighted average grant-date fair value of options granted	$ 24.71	$ 30.72

Share-Based Compensation (Summa

Share-Based Compensation (Summary of Stock Option Activity) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Stock options outstanding, number of stock options	76,803
Granted, number of stock options	38,337
Exercised, number of stock options	(2,579)
Stock options outstanding, number of stock options	112,561	76,803
Exercisable number of stock options	38,386
Stock options outstanding, average exercise price	$ 82.06
Granted, average exercise price	91.82
Exercised, average exercise price	68.48
Stock options outstanding, average exercise price	85.70	$ 82.06
Exercisable average exercise price	$ 77.90
Aggregate intrinsic value outstanding	$ 1,053
Exercised aggregate intrinsic value	93
Aggregate intrinsic value outstanding	540	$ 1,053
Exercisable aggregate intrinsic value	$ 427
Average remaining contractual term (years)	7 years 7 months 6 days	7 years 8 months 12 days
Exercisable average remaining contractual term (years)	5 years 9 months 18 days

Share-Based Compensation (Sum_2

Share-Based Compensation (Summary of Share Based Compensation Additional Information) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Intrinsic value of stock options exercised	$ 93	$ 538	$ 681
Cash received from stock option exercises	177	2,788	3,020
Tax benefit realized from stock option exercises	$ 26	$ 151	$ 254
Weighted average grant-date fair value of stock options vested	$ 32.66	$ 31.37	$ 35.79

Share-Based Compensation (Sum_3

Share-Based Compensation (Summary of Restricted Stock Unit Activity) (Details) - Restricted Stock Units [Member]	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019$ / sharesshares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock units outstanding | shares	90,609
Granted, number of stock units | shares	36,693
Vested, number of stock units | shares	(40,655)
Forfeited/ cancelled, number of stock units | shares	(7,305)
Stock units outstanding | shares	79,342
Stock units, weighted-average grant-date fair value | $ / shares	$ 84.38
Granted, weighted-average grant-date fair value | $ / shares	89.76
Vested, weighted-average grant-date fair value | $ / shares	83.68
Forfeited/ cancelled, weighted-average grant-date fair value | $ / shares	89.54
Stock units, weighted-average grant-date fair value | $ / shares	$ 87.49

Share-Based Compensation (Sch_3

Share-Based Compensation (Schedule of Performance Stock Unit Activity) (Details) - Performance Stock Units [Member]	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019$ / sharesshares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock units outstanding | shares	19,952
Granted, number of stock units | shares	20,631
Forfeited/ cancelled, number of stock units | shares	(3,154)
Stock units outstanding | shares	37,429
Stock units, weighted-average grant-date fair value | $ / shares	$ 80.99
Granted, weighted-average grant-date fair value | $ / shares	98.03
Forfeited/ cancelled, weighted-average grant-date fair value | $ / shares	64.37
Stock units, weighted-average grant-date fair value | $ / shares	$ 85.10

Share-Based Compensation (Sch_4

Share-Based Compensation (Schedule of Assumptions Used to Estimate Fair Value of TSR Portion of Awards Granted) (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expected life (years)	6 years	7 years
Risk-free interest rate	3.10%	2.20%
Volatility	26.30%	33.90%
Dividend yield	1.40%	1.30%
Performance Stock Units [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expected life (years)	3 years
Risk-free interest rate	2.90%
Volatility	27.30%
Dividend yield	1.40%

Share Repurchases (Narrative) (

Share Repurchases (Narrative) (Details) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019USD ($)shares
Equity [Abstract]
Repurchase authorization amount	$ 250
Number of shares of common stock repurchased during the period | shares	0
Remaining amount available under the repurchase program	$ 63.7

Quarterly Results of Operatio_3

Quarterly Results of Operations (Schedule of Quarterly Results) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	May 31, 2019	Feb. 28, 2019	Nov. 30, 2018	Aug. 31, 2018	May 31, 2018	Feb. 28, 2018	Nov. 30, 2017	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Operating revenues	$ 101,885	$ 121,054	$ 109,182	$ 111,951	$ 123,269	$ 169,571	$ 130,339	$ 124,526	$ 444,072	$ 547,705	$ 517,985
Cost of operating revenues	70,398	91,055	84,708	83,303	90,998	118,093	95,023	92,129	329,464	396,243	372,973
Earnings (loss) before income taxes	2,265	3,229	(5,068)	1,681	5,940	17,445	5,676	4,792	2,107	33,853	35,715
Net earnings (loss)	$ 1,503	$ 2,897	$ (3,440)	$ 1,212	$ 4,978	$ 10,379	$ 1,735	$ 3,185	$ 2,172	$ 20,277	$ 23,179
Diluted net earnings (loss) per share	$ 0.14	$ 0.27	$ (0.32)	$ 0.11	$ 0.46	$ 0.96	$ 0.16	$ 0.30	$ 0.20	$ 1.88	$ 2.17

Valuation and Qualifying Acco_2

Valuation and Qualifying Accounts (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2019	Aug. 31, 2018	Aug. 31, 2017
Allowance For Doubtful Accounts [Member]
Valuation And Qualifying Accounts Disclosure [Line Items]
Balance at beginning of period	$ 3,585	$ 7,447	$ 8,312
Charges to costs and expenses		744	483
Deductions	950	4,606	1,348
Balance at end of period	2,635	3,585	7,447
Deferred Tax Asset Valuation Allowance [Member]
Valuation And Qualifying Accounts Disclosure [Line Items]
Balance at beginning of period	3,562	2,804	2,825
Charges to costs and expenses	197	758
Deductions			21
Balance at end of period	$ 3,759	$ 3,562	$ 2,804