Seaboard (SEB) 10-Q 8 May 15 2015 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015	Apr. 24, 2015
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	SEABOARD CORP /DE/
Entity Central Index Key	88121
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	4-Apr-15
Amendment Flag	FALSE
Current Fiscal Year End Date	-19
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		1,170,550
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Apr. 04, 2015	Mar. 29, 2014
Net sales:
Products (includes sales to affiliates of $211,706 and $195,986)	$1,176,927	$1,213,755
Service revenues	249,109	212,033
Other	26,322	53,848
Total net sales	1,452,358	1,479,636
Cost of sales and operating expenses:
Products	1,118,663	1,105,583
Services	219,018	194,507
Other	21,513	53,958
Total cost of sales and operating expenses	1,359,194	1,354,048
Gross income	93,164	125,588
Selling, general and administrative expenses	65,325	60,385
Operating income	27,839	65,203
Other income (expense):
Interest expense	-4,530	-4,820
Interest income	3,329	7,080
Interest income from affiliates	7,060	6,356
Income from affiliates	11,227	6,644
Other investment income, net	6,548	573
Foreign currency gains (losses), net	1,412	-5,693
Miscellaneous, net	-4,427	140
Total other income, net	20,619	10,280
Earnings before income taxes	48,458	75,483
Income tax expense	-14,882	-27,034
Net earnings	33,576	48,449
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	-226	-283
Net earnings attributable to Seaboard	33,350	48,166
Earnings per common share (in dollars per share)	$28.49	$40.55
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of income tax benefit of $142 and $9,663):
Foreign currency translation adjustment	-5,958	-26,775
Unrealized gain on investments	677	526
Unrealized gain on cash flow hedges		361
Unrecognized pension cost	1,282	320
Other comprehensive loss, net of tax	-3,999	-25,568
Comprehensive income	29,577	22,881
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to the noncontrolling interest	-303	-279
Comprehensive income attributable to Seaboard	$29,274	$22,602
Average number of shares outstanding (in shares)	1,170,550	1,187,681

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme1

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Parenthetical) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Apr. 04, 2015	Mar. 29, 2014
Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income
Products, sales to affiliates	$211,706	$195,986
Other comprehensive income (loss), income tax benefit	$142	$9,663

Condensed_Consolidated_Balance

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (USD $)	Apr. 04, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$47,916	$36,459
Short-term investments	597,619	490,566
Receivables, net of allowance	526,365	633,965
Inventories	716,084	736,302
Deferred income taxes	45,247	45,647
Other current assets	121,270	110,053
Total current assets	2,054,501	2,052,992
Net property, plant and equipment	849,185	846,757
Investments in and advances to affiliates	539,004	523,063
Notes receivable from affiliates	201,555	197,270
Other assets	70,419	57,238
Total assets	3,714,664	3,677,320
Current liabilities:
Notes payable to banks	123,311	75,524
Accounts payable	165,036	214,218
Deferred revenue	69,724	51,158
Other current liabilities	292,623	293,932
Total current liabilities	650,694	634,832
Deferred income taxes	87,007	95,538
Other liabilities and deferred credits	227,262	226,677
Total non-current liabilities	314,269	322,215
Commitments and contingent liabilities
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock of $1 par value, Authorized 1,250,000 shares; issued and outstanding 1,170,550 shares	1,171	1,171
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	-256,636	-252,637
Retained earnings	3,000,714	2,967,364
Total Seaboard stockholders' equity	2,745,249	2,715,898
Noncontrolling interests	4,452	4,375
Total equity	2,749,701	2,720,273
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$3,714,664	$3,677,320

Condensed_Consolidated_Balance1

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Apr. 04, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$1	$1
Common stock, Authorized shares	1,250,000	1,250,000
Common stock, issued shares	1,170,500	1,170,550
Common stock, outstanding shares	1,170,550	1,170,550

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme2

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Apr. 04, 2015	Mar. 29, 2014
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net earnings	$33,576	$48,449
Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to cash from operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	23,706	22,963
Gain from sale of fixed assets	-144	-1,392
Deferred income taxes	-8,002	2,872
Pay-in-kind interest and accretion on notes receivable from affiliates	-4,360	-3,628
Income from affiliates	-11,227	-6,644
Dividends received from affiliates	9,735	1,088
Other investment income, net	-6,548	-573
Other, net	1,158	-14
Changes in assets and liabilities, net of business acquired:
Receivables, net of allowance	106,353	105,170
Inventories	17,665	27,522
Other current assets	-10,334	6,060
Current liabilities, exclusive of debt	-30,665	-60,822
Other, net	2,190	2,919
Net cash from operating activities	123,103	143,970
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchase of short-term investments	-225,017	-429,011
Proceeds from the sale of short-term investments	119,458	326,826
Proceeds from the maturity of short-term investments	4,082	1,038
Capital expenditures	-28,515	-38,030
Proceeds from the sale of fixed assets	334	1,676
Investments in and advances to affiliates, net	-17,976	-41
Principal payments received on long-term notes receivable from affiliates	75
Purchase of long-term investments	-3,194	-2,290
Other, net	-9,412	324
Net cash from investing activities	-160,165	-139,508
Cash flows from financing activities:
Notes payable to banks, net	48,830	-15,923
Repurchase of common stock		-4,404
Other, net	-226	-127
Net cash from financing activities	48,604	-20,454
Effect of exchange rate change on cash	-85	-186
Net change in cash and cash equivalents	11,457	-16,178
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year	36,459	55,055
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$47,916	$38,877

Accounting_Policies_and_Basis_

Accounting Policies and Basis of Presentation	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015
Accounting Policies and Basis of Presentation
Accounting Policies and Basis of Presentation
	Note 1 – Accounting Policies and Basis of Presentation
	The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Seaboard Corporation and its domestic and foreign subsidiaries (“Seaboard”).  All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.  Seaboard’s investments in non-consolidated affiliates are accounted for by the equity method.  The unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements of Seaboard for the year ended December 31, 2014 as filed in its Annual Report on Form 10-K.  Seaboard’s first three quarterly periods include approximately 13 weekly periods ending on the Saturday closest to the end of March, June and September.  Seaboard’s year-end is December 31.
	The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring accruals) which, in the opinion of management, are necessary for a fair presentation of financial position, results of operations and cash flows.  Results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for a full year.  As Seaboard conducts its commodity trading business with third parties, consolidated subsidiaries and non-consolidated affiliates on an interrelated basis, gross margin on non-consolidated affiliates cannot be clearly distinguished without making numerous assumptions primarily with respect to mark-to-market accounting for commodity derivatives.
	Use of Estimates
	The preparation of the Condensed Consolidated 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, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include those related to allowance for doubtful accounts, valuation of inventories, impairment of long-lived assets, potential write-down related to investments in and advances to affiliates and notes receivable from affiliates, income taxes and accrued pension liability.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.
	Supplemental Non-Cash Transactions
	Seaboard has notes receivable from affiliates which accrue pay-in-kind interest income, primarily from one affiliate as discussed in Note 9. Seaboard recognized $4,360,000 and $3,628,000, respectively, of non-cash, pay-in-kind interest income and accretion of discount for the first quarter ended April 4, 2015 and March 29, 2014, respectively, related to these notes receivable.
	Recently Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted
	In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued guidance to develop a single, comprehensive revenue recognition model for all contracts with customers. This guidance requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. This guidance will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective. Seaboard is currently evaluating the impact this new guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.  Seaboard will be required to adopt this guidance on January 1, 2017 and it is currently anticipated that Seaboard will apply this guidance using the cumulative effect transition method.
	Subsequent Event
	Subsequent to April 4, 2015, Seaboard invested $10,000,000 in a business operating a 300 megawatt electricity generating facility in the Dominican Republic.  This investment increased Seaboard’s ownership interest to 29.9% from less than 20%.  Seaboard’s previous investment of $5,910,000 in this business was made in 2006 and was accounted for using the cost method.  As a result of this additional investment in 2015, Seaboard will be required to change its accounting method for this investment to the equity method in the Power segment beginning in the second quarter of 2015.  As a result of this change in accounting method, Seaboard will be required to adjust retroactively as if the equity method had been in effect during all previous periods since Seaboard’s initial investment in 2006.  Had this accounting change occurred as of April 4, 2015, net income for quarters ended April 4, 2015 and March 29, 2014 would not have been materially affected and total investment in affiliates and equity at April 4, 2015 would increase by $19,382,000.  There is no tax impact to Seaboard on these amounts.

Investments

Investments	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015
Investments
Investments
	Note 2 – Investments
	Seaboard’s short-term investments are treated as either available-for-sale securities or trading securities.  All of Seaboard’s available-for-sale and trading securities are classified as current assets as they are readily available to support Seaboard’s current operating needs.  Available-for-sale securities are recorded at their estimated fair value with unrealized gains and losses reported, net of tax, as a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive loss.  Trading securities are recorded at their estimated fair value with unrealized gains and losses reflected in other investment income, net. At April 4, 2015, money market funds included $13,132,000 denominated in Euros and $2,849,000 denominated in Canadian dollars.
	The following is a summary of the amortized cost and estimated fair value of short-term investments for both available-for-sale and trading securities at April 4, 2015 and December 31, 2014.
		2015				2014
		Amortized		Fair		Amortized		Fair
	(Thousands of dollars)	Cost		Value		Cost		Value
	Money market funds	$	236,974	$	236,974	$	142,432	$	142,432
	Corporate bonds	11,652		11,757		11,000		11,015
	U.S. Government agency securities	9,287		9,354		9,684		9,666
	Asset backed debt securities	2,521		2,554		2,260		2,291
	U.S. Treasury securities	1,990		1,996		523		522
	Collateralized mortgage obligations	819		816		1,150		1,170
	Total available-for-sale short-term investments	263,243		263,451		167,049		167,096
	High yield trading debt securities	178,466		175,390		187,491		181,483
	Equity mutual fund	86,309		86,268		83,809		82,542
	Domestic equity ETF	59,157		61,806		31,307		32,651
	Money market funds held in trading accounts	6,362		6,362		21,401		21,401
	Emerging markets trading debt mutual fund	3,323		2,550		3,323		2,614
	Other trading investments	1,870		1,792		2,850		2,779
	Total trading short-term investments	335,487		334,168		330,181		323,470
	Total short-term investments	$	598,730	$	597,619	$	497,230	$	490,566
	The following table summarizes the estimated fair value of fixed rate securities designated as available-for-sale classified by the contractual maturity date of the security as of April 4, 2015.
	(Thousands of dollars)	2015
	Due within one year	$	984
	Due after one year through three years	11,077
	Due after three years	12,093
	Total fixed rate securities	$	24,154
	In addition to its short-term investments, Seaboard also has trading securities related to Seaboard’s deferred compensation plans classified in other current assets on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.  See Note 5 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for information on the types of trading securities held related to the deferred compensation plans.

Inventories

Inventories	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015
Inventories
Inventories
	Note 3 – Inventories
	The following is a summary of inventories at April 4, 2015 and December 31, 2014:
		April 4,			December 31,
	(Thousands of dollars)	2015			2014
	At lower of LIFO cost or market:
	Live hogs and materials	$	216,500		$	208,641
	Fresh pork and materials	39,459			28,573
		255,959			237,214
	LIFO adjustment	(33,676		)	(36,560		)
	Total inventories at lower of LIFO cost or market	222,283			200,654
	At lower of FIFO cost or market:
	Grains, oilseeds and other commodities	281,286			320,066
	Sugar produced and in process	49,574			48,863
	Other	62,118			57,344
	Total inventories at lower of FIFO cost or market	392,978			426,273
	Grain, flour and feed at lower of weighted average cost or market	100,823			109,375
	Total inventories	$	716,084		$	736,302

Income_Taxes

Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015
Income Taxes
Income Taxes
	Note 4 – Income Taxes
	Seaboard’s tax returns are regularly audited by federal, state and foreign tax authorities, which may result in material adjustments.  Seaboard’s U.S. federal income tax years’ are closed through 2009. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) examination of Seaboard’s 2010 U.S. income tax return has been finalized.  There have not been any material changes in unrecognized income tax benefits since December 31, 2014.  Interest related to unrecognized tax benefits and penalties was not material for the three months ended April 4, 2015.

Derivatives_and_Fair_Value_of_

Derivatives and Fair Value of Financial Instruments	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015
Derivatives and Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Derivatives and Fair Value of Financial Instruments
	Note 5 – Derivatives and Fair Value of Financial Instruments
	U.S. GAAP discusses valuation techniques, such as the market approach (prices and other relevant information generated by market conditions involving identical or comparable assets or liabilities), the income approach (techniques to convert future amounts to single present amounts based on market expectations including present value techniques and option-pricing), and the cost approach (amount that would be required to replace the service capacity of an asset which is often referred to as replacement cost).  U.S. GAAP utilizes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three broad levels.  The following is a brief description of those three levels:
	Level 1:   Observable inputs such as unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access at the measurement date.
	Level 2:   Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly.  These include quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets and quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active.
	Level 3:   Unobservable inputs that reflect the reporting entity’s own assumptions.
	The following table shows assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of April 4, 2015 and also the level within the fair value hierarchy used to measure each category of assets.  Seaboard uses the end of the reporting period to determine if there were any transfers between levels.  There were no transfers between levels that occurred in the first quarter of 2015.  The trading securities classified as other current assets below are assets held for Seaboard’s deferred compensation plans.
			Balance
			April 4,
	(Thousands of dollars)		2015			Level 1			Level 2			Level 3
	Assets:
	Available-for-sale securities - short-term investments:
	Money market funds		$	236,974		$	236,974		$	-		$	-
	Corporate bonds		11,757			-			11,757			-
	U.S. Government agency securities		9,354			-			9,354			-
	Asset backed debt securities		2,554			-			2,554			-
	U.S. Treasury securities		1,996			-			1,996			-
	Collateralized mortgage obligations		816			-			816			-
	Trading securities - short-term investments:
	High yield debt securities		175,390			-			175,390			-
	Equity mutual fund		86,268			86,268			-			-
	Domestic equity ETF		61,806			61,806			-			-
	Money market funds held in trading accounts		6,362			6,362			-			-
	Emerging markets trading debt mutual fund		2,550			2,550			-			-
	Other trading investments		1,792			-			1,792			-
	Trading securities - other current assets:
	Domestic equity securities		35,600			35,600			-			-
	Foreign equity securities		6,780			6,780			-			-
	Fixed income mutual funds		4,415			4,415			-			-
	Other		2,959			2,511			448			-
	Derivatives:
	Commodities(1)		4,147			4,147			-			-
	Foreign currencies		1,039			-			1,039			-
	Total Assets		$	652,559		$	447,413		$	205,146		$	-
	Liabilities:
	Derivatives:
	Commodities(1)		$	9,722		$	9,722		$	-		$	-
	Interest rate swaps		9,256			-			9,256			-
	Foreign currencies		424			-			424			-
	Total Liabilities		$	19,402		$	9,722		$	9,680		$	-
	(1) Seaboard’s commodities derivative assets and liabilities are presented in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets on a net basis, including netting the derivatives with the related margin accounts.  As of April 4, 2015, the commodity derivatives had a margin account balance of $21,752,000 resulting in a net other current asset on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets of $16,612,000 and other current liabilities of $435,000.
	The following table shows assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2014 and also the level within the fair value hierarchy used to measure each category of assets.
			Balance
			December 31,
	(Thousands of dollars)		2014			Level 1			Level 2			Level 3
	Assets:
	Available-for-sale securities - short-term investments:
	Money market funds		$	142,432		$	142,432		$	-		$	-
	Corporate bonds		11,015			-			11,015			-
	U.S. Government agency securities		9,666			-			9,666			-
	Asset backed debt securities		2,291			-			2,291			-
	Collateralized mortgage obligations		1,170			-			1,170			-
	U.S. Treasury securities		522			-			522			-
	Trading securities - short term investments:
	High yield debt securities		181,483			-			181,483			-
	Equity mutual fund		82,542			82,542			-			-
	Domestic equity ETF		32,651			32,651			-			-
	Money market funds held in trading accounts		21,401			21,401			-			-
	Emerging markets trading debt mutual fund		2,614			2,614			-			-
	Other trading investments		2,779			-			2,779			-
	Trading securities - other current assets:
	Domestic equity securities		33,857			33,857			-			-
	Foreign equity securities		6,532			6,532			-			-
	Fixed income mutual funds		4,570			4,570			-			-
Other		2,676			2,405			271			-
Derivatives:
Commodities(1)		6,136			6,136			-			-
Foreign currencies		1,675			-			1,675			-
Total Assets		$	546,012		$	335,140		$	210,872		$	-
Liabilities:
Derivatives:
Commodities(1)		$	1,779		$	1,779		$	-		$	-
Interest rate swaps		7,715			-			7,715			-
Foreign currencies		407			-			407			-
Total Liabilities		$	9,901		$	1,779		$	8,122		$	-
(1) Seaboard’s commodities derivative assets and liabilities are presented in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets on a net basis, including netting the derivatives with the related margin accounts.  As of December 31, 2014, the commodity derivatives had a margin account balance of $4,314,000 resulting in a net other current asset on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets of $9,267,000 and other current liabilities of $596,000.
Financial instruments consisting of cash and cash equivalents, net receivables, notes payable, and accounts payable are carried at cost, which approximates fair value, as a result of the short-term nature of the instruments. The amortized cost and estimated fair values of investments at April 4, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are presented in Note 2.
While management believes its derivatives are primarily economic hedges of its firm purchase and sales contracts or anticipated sales contracts, Seaboard does not perform the extensive record-keeping required to account for these types of transactions as hedges for accounting purposes.  Since the derivatives and interest rate exchange agreements discussed below are not accounted for as hedges, fluctuations in the related commodity prices, currency exchange rates and interest rates could have a material impact on earnings in any given period.  Seaboard also enters into speculative derivative transactions not directly related to its raw material requirements.  The nature of Seaboard’s market risk exposure has not changed materially since December 31, 2014.
Commodity Instruments
Seaboard uses various derivative futures and options to manage its risk to price fluctuations for raw materials and other inventories, finished product sales and firm sales commitments.  At April 4, 2015, Seaboard had open net derivative contracts to purchase 33,775,000 bushels of grain, 24,200,000 pounds of hogs, 9,390,000 pounds of sugar, 960,000 pounds of soybean oil, 365,000 tons of soybean meal, 264,000 pounds of dry whey powder and 40,000 pounds of cheese.  At December 31, 2014, Seaboard had open net derivative contracts to purchase 19,800,000 pounds of hogs, 19,620,000 pounds of soybean oil, 15,551,000 pounds of sugar, 10,697,000 bushels of grain, 88,000 pounds of dry whey powder and 85,000 tons of soybean meal and open net derivative contracts to sell 4,326,000 gallons of heating oil.  Commodity derivatives are recorded at fair value with any changes in fair value being marked to market as a component of cost of sales on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.
Foreign Currency Exchange Agreements
Seaboard enters into foreign currency exchange agreements to manage the foreign currency exchange rate risk with respect to certain transactions denominated in foreign currencies.  Foreign currency exchange agreements that were primarily related to an underlying commodity transaction were recorded at fair value with changes in value marked to market as a component of cost of sales on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.  Foreign exchange agreements that were not related to an underlying commodity transaction were recorded at fair value with changes in value marked to market as a component of foreign currency losses, net on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.
At April 4, 2015 and December 31, 2014, Seaboard had trading foreign currency exchange agreements to cover its firm sales and purchase commitments and related trade receivables and payables with net notional amounts of $92,901,000 and $143,961,000, respectively, primarily related to the South African Rand.
Interest Rate Exchange Agreements
During 2014, Seaboard initially put into place four, approximately eight-year interest rate exchange agreements with mandatory early termination dates in the second half of 2014 and early 2015 for one of the agreements.  During 2014 and 2015, these interest rate exchange agreements were terminated and replaced, each with a mandatory early termination date which coincides with the revised anticipated delivery dates in 2015 and have similar terms as the original agreements terminated.  Payments made by Seaboard to unwind these agreements were not material. These four exchange agreements, still outstanding as of April 4, 2015, involve the exchange of fixed-rate and variable-rate interest payments without the exchange of the underlying notional amounts to mitigate the potential effects of fluctuations in interest rates on the anticipated four dry bulk vessel leases in 2015. Seaboard pays a fixed rate and receives a variable rate of interest on these four notional amounts of $22,000,000 each. In 2010, Seaboard entered into three ten-year interest rate exchange agreements which involve the exchange of fixed-rate and variable-rate interest payments over the life of the agreements without the exchange of the underlying notional amounts to mitigate the effects of fluctuations in interest rates on variable rate debt.  Seaboard pays a fixed rate and receives a variable rate of interest on these three notional amounts of $25,000,000 each. All seven of these interest rate exchange agreements do not qualify as hedges for accounting purposes. Accordingly, the changes in fair value of these agreements are recorded in miscellaneous, net in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. At both April 4, 2015 and December 31, 2014, Seaboard had seven interest rate exchange agreements outstanding with a total notional value of $163,000,000.
Counterparty Credit Risk
From time to time Seaboard is subject to counterparty credit risk related to its foreign currency exchange agreements and interest rate swaps, should the counterparties fail to perform according to the terms of the contracts.  As of April 4, 2015, Seaboard’s foreign currency exchange agreements have a maximum amount of loss due to credit risk in the amount of $1,039,000 with five counterparties and no such exposures related to the interest rate swaps.  Seaboard does not hold any collateral related to these agreements.
The following table provides the amount of gain or (loss) recognized in income for each type of derivative and where it was recognized in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the three months ended April 4, 2015 and March 29, 2014.
(Thousands of dollars)
			Three Months Ended
			April 4,			March 29,
			2015			2014
Commodities	Cost of sales		$	-5,948		$	-6,584
Foreign currencies	Cost of sales		-494			485
Foreign currencies	Foreign currency		1,533			765
Interest rate	Miscellaneous, net		-4,691			-602
The following table provides the fair value of each type of derivative held as of April 4, 2015 and December 31, 2014 and where each derivative is included on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.
(Thousands of dollars)				Asset Derivatives								Liability Derivatives
				April 4,			December 31,					April 4,		December 31,
				2015			2014					2015		2014
Commodities(1)		Other current assets		$	4,147		$	6,136		Other current liabilities		$	9,722	$	1,779
Foreign currencies		Other current assets		1,039			1,675			Other current liabilities		424		407
Interest rate		Other current assets		-			-			Other current liabilities		9,256		7,715
(1)   Seaboard’s commodities derivative assets and liabilities are presented in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets on a net basis, including netting the derivatives with the related margin accounts.  As of April 4, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the commodity derivatives had a margin account balance of $21,752,000 and $4,314,000, respectively, resulting in a net other current asset on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets of $16,612,000 and $9,267,000, respectively and other current liabilities of $435,000 and $596,000, respectively.

Employee_Benefits

Employee Benefits	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015
Employee Benefits
Employee Benefits
	Note 6 – Employee Benefits
	Seaboard maintains two defined benefit pension plans for its domestic salaried and clerical employees.  At this time, no contributions are expected to be made to these plans for the remainder of 2015.  Seaboard also sponsors non-qualified, unfunded supplemental executive plans, and has certain individual, non-qualified, unfunded supplemental retirement agreements for certain retired employees.  Management has no plans to provide funding for these supplemental plans in advance of when the benefits are paid.
	The net periodic benefit cost for all of these plans was as follows:
		Three Months Ended
		April 4,		March 29,
	(Thousands of dollars)	2015		2014
	Components of net periodic benefit cost:
	Service cost	$	2,447	$	1,856
	Interest cost	2,550		2,403
	Expected return on plan assets	-2,115		-2,185
	Amortization and other	749		470
	Net periodic benefit cost	$	3,631	$	2,544

Commitments_and_Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies
Commitments and Contingencies
	Note 7 – Commitments and Contingencies
	Contingencies
	On April 29, 2015, Seaboard received from the Department of Justice, Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section (“AFMLS”), a Grand Jury Subpoena issued by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (the “DC District Court”) requesting records related to 37 specified foreign companies and five individuals.  Seaboard has previously produced documents responsive to Grand Jury subpoenas dated September 18, 2014 and October 17, 2014.  The Subpoena issued September 18, 2014 requested records related to nine entities and one individual, and the Subpoena issued October 17, 2014 requested records with respect to eight additional entities and one additional individual. The companies and individuals as to which the requested records relate to are not affiliated with Seaboard. The AFMLS attorney conducting the investigation has advised Seaboard that it is not a target of the investigation. Seaboard has retained outside counsel and is cooperating with the government’s investigation.  It is impossible at this stage either to determine the probability of a favorable or unfavorable outcome or to estimate the amount of potential loss, if any, resulting from the government’s inquiry.
	On September 19, 2012, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) executed three search warrants authorizing the seizure of certain records from Seaboard’s offices in Merriam, Kansas and at the Seaboard Foods employment office and the human resources department in Guymon, Oklahoma.  The warrants generally called for the seizure of employment-related files, certain e-mails and other electronic records relating to Medicaid and Medicaid recipients, certain health care providers in the Guymon area, and Seaboard’s health plan and certain personnel issues.  The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma (“USAO”), which has been leading the investigation, previously advised Seaboard that it intended to close its investigation and that no charges would be brought against Seaboard.  However, discussions with the USAO continue regarding the status of the investigation and the possibility of proceedings by the USAO, ICE and/or the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office remains.  No proceedings have been filed or brought as of the date of this report.  It is not possible at this time to determine whether any agencies will continue to pursue an investigation or whether Seaboard will incur any material fines, penalties or liabilities in connection with this matter.
	Seaboard is subject to various administrative and judicial proceedings and other legal matters related to the normal conduct of its business.  In the opinion of management, the ultimate resolutions of these items are not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of Seaboard.
	Contingent Obligations
	Certain of the non-consolidated affiliates and third party contractors who perform services for Seaboard have bank debt supporting their underlying operations.  From time to time, Seaboard will provide guarantees of that debt in order to further Seaboard’s business objectives.  Seaboard does not issue guarantees of third parties for compensation.  As of April 4, 2015, guarantees outstanding to third parties were not material. Seaboard has not accrued a liability for any of the third party or affiliate guarantees as management considers the likelihood of loss to be remote.
	As of April 4, 2015, Seaboard’s borrowing capacity under its committed and uncommitted lines was reduced by letters of credit totaling $10,000 and $1,531,000, respectively.  The notes payable to banks under the committed and uncommitted credit lines are unsecured.  These lines of credit do not require compensating balances.

Stockholders_Equity_and_Accumu

Stockholders' Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015
Stockholders' Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss
Stockholders' Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss
	Note 8 – Stockholders’ Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss
	Seaboard has a share repurchase program in place which was initially approved by its Board of Directors in November 2009, and is in effect through October 31, 2015. As of April 4, 2015, $50,846,000 remained available for repurchases under the share repurchase program.  For the three months ended April 4, 2015, Seaboard did not repurchase any shares of common stock.  Under this share repurchase program, Seaboard is authorized to repurchase its common stock from time to time in open market or privately negotiated purchases, which may be above or below the traded market price.  During the period that the share repurchase program remains in effect, from time to time Seaboard may enter into a 10b5-1 plan authorizing a third party to make such purchases on behalf of Seaboard.  The stock repurchases are being funded by cash on hand, and shares repurchased are being retired and resume the status of authorized and unissued shares.  All stock repurchases are being made in compliance with applicable legal requirements and the timing of the repurchases and the number of shares repurchased at any given time depend upon market conditions, compliance with Securities and Exchange Commission regulations and other factors.  The Board’s stock repurchase authorization does not obligate Seaboard to acquire a specific amount of common stock and the stock repurchase program may be suspended at any time at Seaboard’s discretion.
	In December 2012, Seaboard declared and paid a dividend of $12.00 per share on the common stock.  The increased amount of the dividend (which has historically been $0.75 per share on a quarterly basis or $3.00 per share on an annual basis) represented a prepayment of the annual 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 dividends ($3.00 per share per year).  Seaboard did not declare or pay a dividend in 2013 and 2014. Seaboard does not currently intend to declare any further dividends for the years 2015 and 2016.
	The changes in the components of other comprehensive loss (OCL), net of related taxes, are as follows:
			Three Months Ended
			April 4,			March 29,
	(Thousands of dollars)		2015			2014
	Foreign currency translation adjustment		$	(5,958	)	$	(26,775	)
	Investments:
	Unrealized gain (loss)		736			15
	Amounts reclassified from OCL to net earnings		(59		) (1)	511		-1
	Unrealized gain (loss) on investments		677			526
	Unrealized gain on cash flow hedges		-			361
	Pension cost:
	Unrealized gain		299			-
	Amounts reclassified from OCL to net earnings		983		-2	320		-2
	Unrecognized pension cost		1,282			320
	Other Comprehensive Loss, Net of Tax		$	(3,999	)	$	(25,568	)
		-1		This represents realized gains on the sale of available-for-sale securities and was recorded in other investment income (loss), net.
		-2		This primarily represents the amortization of actuarial losses that were included in net periodic pension cost and was recorded in operating income.  See Note 6 for further discussion.
	The components of accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of related taxes, are as follows:
			April 4,		December 31,
	(Thousands of dollars)		2015		2014
	Cumulative Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment:		$ (199,995)		$ (194,037)
	Unrealized Gain on Investments:		2,011		1,334
	Unrecognized Pension Cost:		-58,652		-59,934
	Total Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss		$ (256,636)		$ (252,637)
	The foreign currency translation adjustment primarily represents the effect of the Argentine peso currency exchange fluctuation on the net assets of the Sugar segment.  At April 4, 2015, the Sugar segment had $119,734,000 in net assets denominated in Argentine pesos and $1,199,000 in net assets denominated in U.S. dollars.  Management anticipates that the Argentine peso could continue to weaken against the U.S. dollar and thus it is anticipated that Seaboard could incur additional foreign currency translation adjustment losses in other comprehensive loss during the remainder of 2015.
	At April 4, 2015 and March 29, 2014, income taxes for cumulative foreign currency translation adjustments were recorded using a 35% effective tax rate except for $60,076,000 and $49,411,000, respectively, related to certain subsidiaries for which no tax benefit was recorded. At April 4, 2015 and March 29, 2014, income taxes for all other components of accumulated other comprehensive loss were recorded using a 39% effective rate except for unrecognized pension cost of $19,960,000 and $8,580,000, respectively, related to employees at certain subsidiaries for which no tax benefit has been recorded.

Segment_Information

Segment Information	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015
Segment Information
Segment Information
	Note 9 - Segment Information
	As of September 27, 2014, Seaboard’s Pork segment sold to Triumph Foods LLC (Triumph) a 50% interest in Daily’s.  Daily’s produces and markets raw and pre-cooked bacon, ham and sausage and has two further processing plants located in Salt Lake City, Utah and Missoula, Montana.  The Pork segment currently has a business relationship with Triumph under which Seaboard markets substantially all of the pork products produced at Triumph’s plant in St. Joseph, Missouri.  Through September 27, 2014, Seaboard consolidated the operating results of Daily’s as part of its Pork segment operations. As a result of this transaction, Seaboard deconsolidated Daily’s from its Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of September 27, 2014.   Seaboard’s remaining 50% investment in Daily’s is accounted for in the Pork segment by using the equity method of accounting. Both Seaboard and Triumph supply raw product to Daily’s.
	The Commodity Trading and Milling segment has a 50% non-controlling interest in a bakery located in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) which began start-up operations in the fourth quarter of 2012.  As part of its investment in this bakery, Seaboard has an interest bearing long-term note receivable from this bakery the terms of which require periodic principal payments with the first payment due in June 2015 and a final maturity date of December 2020.  Repayment of this note is primarily dependent upon this business improving existing operations to generate adequate future cash flows to make scheduled payments when due.  The bakery has been incurring operating losses since it began operations as it continues to resolve equipment problems and attempts to gain market share.  As a result of the continuing equipment problems, other production challenges and unfavorable local market conditions causing challenges in gaining market share, Seaboard’s management determined achieving improved operating results would take significantly longer than anticipated.  As a result, Seaboard’s management determined there was a decline in value considered other than temporary as of December 31, 2014 and thus Seaboard recorded a write-down in the fourth quarter of 2014, which represented the remaining equity investment in this business and suspended the use of the equity method as of December 31, 2014.  Seaboard discontinued recognizing interest income on the note receivable during the fourth quarter of 2014.  As of April 4, 2015, the recorded balance of this Note Receivable and previous accrued interest from Affiliates was $34,556,000, all classified as long-term given uncertainty of the timing of payments in the future.  If the future cash flows of this bakery do not improve, there is a possibility that some of the recorded value of the Note Receivable from Affiliate could be deemed uncollectible in the future, which may result in a material charge to earnings.  Including this business, as of April 4, 2015 Seaboard had a total of $56,939,000 of investments in, advances to and notes receivable from all of its affiliates in the DRC, which represents the single largest foreign country risk exposure for Seaboard’s equity method investments.  One of the other affiliates in the DRC, to which Seaboard sells wheat, is the only supplier of flour to this bakery.
	In September 2013, Seaboard invested $17,000,000 in a flour production business in Brazil for a 50% non-controlling equity interest and provided a $13,000,000 long-term loan to this business.  Half of the interest on this long-term note receivable from affiliate is paid currently in cash and the other half accrues as pay-in-kind interest. This note receivable matures in September 2020 but can be repaid with Seaboard having the option to convert the note receivable to equity and the other equity holders having the option to match such conversion with a purchase of new shares to avoid dilution.  In addition, at the time of Seaboard’s initial investment in this business, plans included potential future equal additional investments by the owners to improve existing operations and expand operations to improve long-term operating results.  Seaboard’s share of additional investments totaled $2,502,000 and $3,886,000 in 2015 and 2014, respectively.  This business also incurred significant operating losses in 2014 and the first quarter of 2015.  Discussions are ongoing between the owners to determine the extent and timing of future additional investments or loans, by either or both parties, for possible expansion plans to improve operating results.  As of April 4, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the recorded balance of this Note Receivable from Affiliates was $14,018,000 and $13,849,000, respectively and Seaboard’s equity investment in this business was $1,950,000 and $11,669,000, respectively.  As of April 4, 2015 and December 31, 2014, Seaboard also had a receivable due from affiliates of $14,207,000 and $13,969,000, respectively from sales of grain and supplies related to this business. During the first quarter of 2015, Seaboard recorded losses from affiliates of $11,666,000 related to this investment, which included $5,846,000 for its proportionate share of a deferred income tax asset allowance related to 2014 and 2013.
	In September 2014, Seaboard invested $17,333,000 in a cargo terminal business in Jamaica for a 21% non-controlling interest. This investment is accounted for in the Marine segment using the equity method reported on a three-month lag basis and thus Seaboard’s first proportionate share of earnings was recognized in the first quarter of 2015.
	The Power segment had been operating a floating power generating facility (72 megawatts) in the Dominican
	Republic under a short-term lease agreement.  On April 1, 2014, Seaboard provided notice to cancel the lease.  Seaboard ceased operation of the leased facility on September 3, 2014.
	The Turkey segment, accounted for using the equity method, represents Seaboard’s investment in Butterball, LLC (Butterball).  Butterball had total net sales for the three months ended April 4, 2015 and March 29, 2014 of $397,698,000 and $355,763,000, respectively. Butterball had operating income for the three months ended April 4, 2015 and March 29, 2014 of $42,597,000 and $20,748,000, respectively.  As of April 4, 2015 and December 31, 2014, Butterball had total assets of $1,008,592,000 and $1,021,182,000, respectively.
	In conjunction with Seaboard’s initial investment in Butterball in December 2010, Seaboard has a long-term note receivable from Butterball which had a balance of $145,450,000 as of April 4, 2015.  Part of the interest earned on this note is pay-in-kind interest, which accumulates and is paid at maturity in December 2017.
	The following tables set forth specific financial information about each segment as reviewed by Seaboard’s management. Operating income for segment reporting is prepared on the same basis as that used for consolidated operating income.  Operating income, along with income or losses from affiliates for the Commodity Trading and Milling segment, is used as the measure of evaluating segment performance because management does not consider interest, other investment income and income tax expense on a segment basis.
	Sales to External Customers:
		Three Months Ended
		April 4,			March 29,
	(Thousands of dollars)	2015			2014
	Pork	$	320,888		$	382,090
	Commodity Trading and Milling	820,588			789,390
	Marine	236,660			200,464
	Sugar	45,259			50,356
	Power	25,131			53,848
	All Other	3,832			3,488
	Segment/Consolidated Totals	$	1,452,358		$	1,479,636
	Operating Income (Loss):
		Three Months Ended
		April 4,			March 29,
	(Thousands of dollars)	2015			2014
	Pork	$	16,396		$	60,477
	Commodity Trading and Milling	4,482			11,930
	Marine	6,779			(7,392		)
	Sugar	3,999			6,761
	Power	2,634			(1,684		)
	All Other	108			337
	Segment Totals	34,398			70,429
	Corporate Items	(6,559		)	(5,226		)
	Consolidated Totals	$	27,839		$	65,203
	Income (Loss) from Affiliates:
		Three Months Ended
		April 4,			March 29,
	(Thousands of dollars)	2015			2014
	Pork	$	2,653		$	-
	Commodity Trading and Milling	(9,249		)	(35		)
	Marine	653			-
	Sugar	416			305
	Turkey	16,754			6,374
	Segment/Consolidated Totals	$	11,227		$	6,644
	Total Assets:
		April 4,			December 31,
	(Thousands of dollars)	2015			2014
	Pork	$	849,841		$	821,172
	Commodity Trading and Milling	1,005,576			1,103,461
	Marine	295,184			283,276
	Sugar	185,184			198,271
	Power	204,904			199,256
	Turkey	407,234			393,425
	All Other	5,324			5,887
	Segment Totals	2,953,247			3,004,748
	Corporate Items	761,417			672,572
	Consolidated Totals	$	3,714,664		$	3,677,320
	Investments in and Advances to Affiliates:
		April 4,			December 31,
	(Thousands of dollars)	2015			2014
	Pork	$	80,769		$	79,832
	Commodity Trading and Milling	182,914			178,344
	Marine	17,729			17,333
Sugar	3,339			2,994
Turkey	254,253			244,560
Segment/Consolidated Totals	$	539,004		$	523,063
Administrative services are provided by the corporate office allocated to the individual segments and represent corporate services rendered to and costs incurred for each specific segment with no allocation to individual segments of general corporate management oversight costs.  Corporate assets include short-term investments, other current assets related to deferred compensation plans, fixed assets, deferred tax amounts and other miscellaneous items.  Corporate operating losses represent certain operating costs not specifically allocated to individual segments and include costs related to Seaboard’s deferred compensation programs (which are offset by the effect of the mark-to-market investments recorded in Other Investment Income (Loss), Net).

Accounting_Policies_and_Basis_1

Accounting Policies and Basis of Presentation (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015
Accounting Policies and Basis of Presentation
Use of Estimates
	Use of Estimates
	The preparation of the Condensed Consolidated 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, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include those related to allowance for doubtful accounts, valuation of inventories, impairment of long-lived assets, potential write-down related to investments in and advances to affiliates and notes receivable from affiliates, income taxes and accrued pension liability.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Supplemental Non-Cash Transactions
	Supplemental Non-Cash Transactions
	Seaboard has notes receivable from affiliates which accrue pay-in-kind interest income, primarily from one affiliate as discussed in Note 9. Seaboard recognized $4,360,000 and $3,628,000, respectively, of non-cash, pay-in-kind interest income and accretion of discount for the first quarter ended April 4, 2015 and March 29, 2014, respectively, related to these notes receivable.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted
	Recently Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted
	In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued guidance to develop a single, comprehensive revenue recognition model for all contracts with customers. This guidance requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. This guidance will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective. Seaboard is currently evaluating the impact this new guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.  Seaboard will be required to adopt this guidance on January 1, 2017 and it is currently anticipated that Seaboard will apply this guidance using the cumulative effect transition method.
Subsequent Event
	Subsequent Event
	Subsequent to April 4, 2015, Seaboard invested $10,000,000 in a business operating a 300 megawatt electricity generating facility in the Dominican Republic.  This investment increased Seaboard’s ownership interest to 29.9% from less than 20%.  Seaboard’s previous investment of $5,910,000 in this business was made in 2006 and was accounted for using the cost method.  As a result of this additional investment in 2015, Seaboard will be required to change its accounting method for this investment to the equity method in the Power segment beginning in the second quarter of 2015.  As a result of this change in accounting method, Seaboard will be required to adjust retroactively as if the equity method had been in effect during all previous periods since Seaboard’s initial investment in 2006.  Had this accounting change occurred as of April 4, 2015, net income for quarters ended April 4, 2015 and March 29, 2014 would not have been materially affected and total investment in affiliates and equity at April 4, 2015 would increase by $19,382,000.  There is no tax impact to Seaboard on these amounts.

Investments_Tables

Investments (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015
Investments
Summary of the amortized cost and estimated fair value of short-term investments for both available-for-sale and trading securities
		2015				2014
		Amortized		Fair		Amortized		Fair
	(Thousands of dollars)	Cost		Value		Cost		Value
	Money market funds	$	236,974	$	236,974	$	142,432	$	142,432
	Corporate bonds	11,652		11,757		11,000		11,015
	U.S. Government agency securities	9,287		9,354		9,684		9,666
	Asset backed debt securities	2,521		2,554		2,260		2,291
	U.S. Treasury securities	1,990		1,996		523		522
	Collateralized mortgage obligations	819		816		1,150		1,170
	Total available-for-sale short-term investments	263,243		263,451		167,049		167,096
	High yield trading debt securities	178,466		175,390		187,491		181,483
	Equity mutual fund	86,309		86,268		83,809		82,542
	Domestic equity ETF	59,157		61,806		31,307		32,651
	Money market funds held in trading accounts	6,362		6,362		21,401		21,401
	Emerging markets trading debt mutual fund	3,323		2,550		3,323		2,614
	Other trading investments	1,870		1,792		2,850		2,779
	Total trading short-term investments	335,487		334,168		330,181		323,470
	Total short-term investments	$	598,730	$	597,619	$	497,230	$	490,566
Summary of estimated fair value of fixed rate securities designated as available-for-sale, classified by the contractual maturity date of the security
	(Thousands of dollars)	2015
	Due within one year	$	984
	Due after one year through three years	11,077
	Due after three years	12,093
	Total fixed rate securities	$	24,154

Inventories_Tables

Inventories (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015
Inventories
Summary of inventories
		April 4,			December 31,
	(Thousands of dollars)	2015			2014
	At lower of LIFO cost or market:
	Live hogs and materials	$	216,500		$	208,641
	Fresh pork and materials	39,459			28,573
		255,959			237,214
	LIFO adjustment	(33,676		)	(36,560		)
	Total inventories at lower of LIFO cost or market	222,283			200,654
	At lower of FIFO cost or market:
	Grains, oilseeds and other commodities	281,286			320,066
	Sugar produced and in process	49,574			48,863
	Other	62,118			57,344
	Total inventories at lower of FIFO cost or market	392,978			426,273
	Grain, flour and feed at lower of weighted average cost or market	100,823			109,375
	Total inventories	$	716,084		$	736,302

Derivatives_and_Fair_Value_of_1

Derivatives and Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015
Derivatives and Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Schedule of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
			Balance
			April 4,
	(Thousands of dollars)		2015			Level 1			Level 2			Level 3
	Assets:
	Available-for-sale securities - short-term investments:
	Money market funds		$	236,974		$	236,974		$	-		$	-
	Corporate bonds		11,757			-			11,757			-
	U.S. Government agency securities		9,354			-			9,354			-
	Asset backed debt securities		2,554			-			2,554			-
	U.S. Treasury securities		1,996			-			1,996			-
	Collateralized mortgage obligations		816			-			816			-
	Trading securities - short-term investments:
	High yield debt securities		175,390			-			175,390			-
	Equity mutual fund		86,268			86,268			-			-
	Domestic equity ETF		61,806			61,806			-			-
	Money market funds held in trading accounts		6,362			6,362			-			-
	Emerging markets trading debt mutual fund		2,550			2,550			-			-
	Other trading investments		1,792			-			1,792			-
	Trading securities - other current assets:
	Domestic equity securities		35,600			35,600			-			-
	Foreign equity securities		6,780			6,780			-			-
	Fixed income mutual funds		4,415			4,415			-			-
	Other		2,959			2,511			448			-
	Derivatives:
	Commodities(1)		4,147			4,147			-			-
	Foreign currencies		1,039			-			1,039			-
	Total Assets		$	652,559		$	447,413		$	205,146		$	-
	Liabilities:
	Derivatives:
	Commodities(1)		$	9,722		$	9,722		$	-		$	-
	Interest rate swaps		9,256			-			9,256			-
	Foreign currencies		424			-			424			-
	Total Liabilities		$	19,402		$	9,722		$	9,680		$	-
	(1) Seaboard’s commodities derivative assets and liabilities are presented in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets on a net basis, including netting the derivatives with the related margin accounts.  As of April 4, 2015, the commodity derivatives had a margin account balance of $21,752,000 resulting in a net other current asset on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets of $16,612,000 and other current liabilities of $435,000.
			Balance
			December 31,
	(Thousands of dollars)		2014			Level 1			Level 2			Level 3
	Assets:
	Available-for-sale securities - short-term investments:
	Money market funds		$	142,432		$	142,432		$	-		$	-
	Corporate bonds		11,015			-			11,015			-
	U.S. Government agency securities		9,666			-			9,666			-
	Asset backed debt securities		2,291			-			2,291			-
	Collateralized mortgage obligations		1,170			-			1,170			-
	U.S. Treasury securities		522			-			522			-
	Trading securities - short term investments:
	High yield debt securities		181,483			-			181,483			-
	Equity mutual fund		82,542			82,542			-			-
	Domestic equity ETF		32,651			32,651			-			-
	Money market funds held in trading accounts		21,401			21,401			-			-
	Emerging markets trading debt mutual fund		2,614			2,614			-			-
	Other trading investments		2,779			-			2,779			-
	Trading securities - other current assets:
	Domestic equity securities		33,857			33,857			-			-
	Foreign equity securities		6,532			6,532			-			-
	Fixed income mutual funds		4,570			4,570			-			-
	Other		2,676			2,405			271			-
	Derivatives:
	Commodities(1)		6,136			6,136			-			-
	Foreign currencies		1,675			-			1,675			-
	Total Assets		$	546,012		$	335,140		$	210,872		$	-
	Liabilities:
	Derivatives:
Commodities(1)		$	1,779		$	1,779		$	-		$	-
Interest rate swaps		7,715			-			7,715			-
Foreign currencies		407			-			407			-
Total Liabilities		$	9,901		$	1,779		$	8,122		$	-
(1) Seaboard’s commodities derivative assets and liabilities are presented in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets on a net basis, including netting the derivatives with the related margin accounts.  As of December 31, 2014, the commodity derivatives had a margin account balance of $4,314,000 resulting in a net other current asset on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets of $9,267,000 and other current liabilities of $596,000.
Schedule of gain or (loss) recognized for each type of derivative and its location in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
	(Thousands of dollars)
				Three Months Ended
				April 4,			March 29,
				2015			2014
	Commodities	Cost of sales		$	-5,948		$	-6,584
	Foreign currencies	Cost of sales		-494			485
	Foreign currencies	Foreign currency		1,533			765
	Interest rate	Miscellaneous, net		-4,691			-602
Schedule of fair value of each type of derivative and its location in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
	(Thousands of dollars)				Asset Derivatives								Liability Derivatives
					April 4,			December 31,					April 4,		December 31,
					2015			2014					2015		2014
	Commodities(1)		Other current assets		$	4,147		$	6,136		Other current liabilities		$	9,722	$	1,779
	Foreign currencies		Other current assets		1,039			1,675			Other current liabilities		424		407
	Interest rate		Other current assets		-			-			Other current liabilities		9,256		7,715
	(1)   Seaboard’s commodities derivative assets and liabilities are presented in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets on a net basis, including netting the derivatives with the related margin accounts.  As of April 4, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the commodity derivatives had a margin account balance of $21,752,000 and $4,314,000, respectively, resulting in a net other current asset on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets of $16,612,000 and $9,267,000, respectively and other current liabilities of $435,000 and $596,000, respectively.

Employee_Benefits_Tables

Employee Benefits (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015
Employee Benefits
Schedule of net periodic benefit cost of plans
		Three Months Ended
		April 4,		March 29,
	(Thousands of dollars)	2015		2014
	Components of net periodic benefit cost:
	Service cost	$	2,447	$	1,856
	Interest cost	2,550		2,403
	Expected return on plan assets	-2,115		-2,185
	Amortization and other	749		470
	Net periodic benefit cost	$	3,631	$	2,544

Stockholders_Equity_and_Accumu1

Stockholders' Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015
Stockholders' Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss
Schedule of changes in the components of other comprehensive loss (OCL), net of related taxes
			Three Months Ended
			April 4,			March 29,
	(Thousands of dollars)		2015			2014
	Foreign currency translation adjustment		$	(5,958	)	$	(26,775	)
	Investments:
	Unrealized gain (loss)		736			15
	Amounts reclassified from OCL to net earnings		(59		) (1)	511		-1
	Unrealized gain (loss) on investments		677			526
	Unrealized gain on cash flow hedges		-			361
	Pension cost:
	Unrealized gain		299			-
	Amounts reclassified from OCL to net earnings		983		-2	320		-2
	Unrecognized pension cost		1,282			320
	Other Comprehensive Loss, Net of Tax		$	(3,999	)	$	(25,568	)
		-1		This represents realized gains on the sale of available-for-sale securities and was recorded in other investment income (loss), net.
		-2		This primarily represents the amortization of actuarial losses that were included in net periodic pension cost and was recorded in operating income.  See Note 6 for further discussion.
Schedule of components of accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of related taxes
			April 4,		December 31,
	(Thousands of dollars)		2015		2014
	Cumulative Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment:		$ (199,995)		$ (194,037)
	Unrealized Gain on Investments:		2,011		1,334
	Unrecognized Pension Cost:		-58,652		-59,934
	Total Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss		$ (256,636)		$ (252,637)

Segment_Information_Tables

Segment Information (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015
Segment Information
Summary of specific financial information related to sales to external customers
		Three Months Ended
		April 4,			March 29,
	(Thousands of dollars)	2015			2014
	Pork	$	320,888		$	382,090
	Commodity Trading and Milling	820,588			789,390
	Marine	236,660			200,464
	Sugar	45,259			50,356
	Power	25,131			53,848
	All Other	3,832			3,488
	Segment/Consolidated Totals	$	1,452,358		$	1,479,636
Summary of specific financial information related to operating income (loss)
		Three Months Ended
		April 4,			March 29,
	(Thousands of dollars)	2015			2014
	Pork	$	16,396		$	60,477
	Commodity Trading and Milling	4,482			11,930
	Marine	6,779			(7,392		)
	Sugar	3,999			6,761
	Power	2,634			(1,684		)
	All Other	108			337
	Segment Totals	34,398			70,429
	Corporate Items	(6,559		)	(5,226		)
	Consolidated Totals	$	27,839		$	65,203
Summary of specific financial information related to income (loss) from affiliates
		Three Months Ended
		April 4,			March 29,
	(Thousands of dollars)	2015			2014
	Pork	$	2,653		$	-
	Commodity Trading and Milling	(9,249		)	(35		)
	Marine	653			-
	Sugar	416			305
	Turkey	16,754			6,374
	Segment/Consolidated Totals	$	11,227		$	6,644
Summary of specific financial information related to total assets
		April 4,			December 31,
	(Thousands of dollars)	2015			2014
	Pork	$	849,841		$	821,172
	Commodity Trading and Milling	1,005,576			1,103,461
	Marine	295,184			283,276
	Sugar	185,184			198,271
	Power	204,904			199,256
	Turkey	407,234			393,425
	All Other	5,324			5,887
	Segment Totals	2,953,247			3,004,748
	Corporate Items	761,417			672,572
	Consolidated Totals	$	3,714,664		$	3,677,320
Summary of specific financial information related to investments in and advances to affiliates
		April 4,			December 31,
	(Thousands of dollars)	2015			2014
	Pork	$	80,769		$	79,832
	Commodity Trading and Milling	182,914			178,344
	Marine	17,729			17,333
	Sugar	3,339			2,994
	Turkey	254,253			244,560
	Segment/Consolidated Totals	$	539,004		$	523,063

Accounting_Policies_and_Basis_2

Accounting Policies and Basis of Presentation (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		0 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015	Mar. 29, 2014	Apr. 04, 2015	Apr. 05, 2015	Dec. 31, 2006
	item
Supplemental Non-Cash Transactions
Number of affiliates	1
Non-cash, pay-in-kind interest income and accretion of discount recognized on a note receivable from an affiliate	$4,360,000	$3,628,000
Change in accounting method
Subsequent event
Increase in investment in affiliates			19,382,000
Effect of change in accounting method
tax impact	0
Dominican Republic | Power
Subsequent event
Amount investment under cost method					5,910,000
Dominican Republic | Power | Maximum
Subsequent event
Percentage of ownership interest accounted as cost method investment					20.00%
Dominican Republic | Subsequent event | Power
Subsequent event
Amount invested under equity method				$10,000,000
Capacity of power facility (in megawatts)				300
Percentage of ownership interest accounted as equity method investment				29.90%

Investments_Details

Investments (Details) (USD $)	Apr. 04, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Investments
Total short term investments, amortized cost	$598,730	$497,230
Total short term investments, fair value	597,619	490,566
Estimated fair value of fixed rate securities designated as available-for-sale, classified by the contractual maturity date of the security
Due within one year	984
Due after one year through three years	11,077
Due after three years	12,093
Total fixed rate securities	24,154
Available-for-sale securities.
Investments
Amortized Cost	263,243	167,049
Fair Value	263,451	167,096
Money market funds
Investments
Amortized Cost	236,974	142,432
Fair Value	236,974	142,432
Corporate bonds
Investments
Amortized Cost	11,652	11,000
Fair Value	11,757	11,015
U.S. Government agency securities
Investments
Amortized Cost	9,287	9,684
Fair Value	9,354	9,666
Asset backed debt securities
Investments
Amortized Cost	2,521	2,260
Fair Value	2,554	2,291
U.S. Treasury securities
Investments
Amortized Cost	1,990	523
Fair Value	1,996	522
Collateralized mortgage obligations
Investments
Amortized Cost	819	1,150
Fair Value	816	1,170
Trading securities.
Investments
Amortized Cost	335,487	330,181
Fair Value	334,168	323,470
High yield debt securities
Investments
Amortized Cost	178,466	187,491
Fair Value	175,390	181,483
Equity mutual fund
Investments
Amortized Cost	86,309	83,809
Fair Value	86,268	82,542
Domestic equity ETF
Investments
Amortized Cost	59,157	31,307
Fair Value	61,806	32,651
Money market funds held in trading accounts
Investments
Amortized Cost	6,362	21,401
Fair Value	6,362	21,401
Emerging markets trading debt mutual fund
Investments
Amortized Cost	3,323	3,323
Fair Value	2,550	2,614
Other trading investments
Investments
Amortized Cost	1,870	2,850
Fair Value	1,792	2,779
Denominated in Canadian dollars | Money market funds
Investments
Fair Value	2,849
Denominated in Euros | Money market funds
Investments
Fair Value	$13,132

Inventories_Details

Inventories (Details) (USD $)	Apr. 04, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
At lower of LIFO cost or market:
Live hogs and materials	$216,500	$208,641
Fresh pork and materials	39,459	28,573
Inventories at lower of LIFO cost or market, Gross	255,959	237,214
LIFO adjustment	-33,676	-36,560
Total inventories at lower of LIFO cost or market	222,283	200,654
At lower of FIFO cost or market:
Grains, oilseeds and other commodities	281,286	320,066
Sugar produced and in process	49,574	48,863
Other	62,118	57,344
Total inventories at lower of FIFO cost or market	392,978	426,273
Grain, flour and feed at lower of weighted average cost or market	100,823	109,375
Total inventories	$716,084	$736,302

Derivatives_and_Fair_Value_of_2

Derivatives and Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Derivatives and Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Transfers that occurred into or out of level 1	$0
Transfers that occurred into or out of level 2	0
Transfers that occurred into or out of level 3	0
Commodities
Assets:
Margin account	21,752,000	4,314,000
Money market funds
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities	236,974,000	142,432,000
Corporate bonds
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities	11,757,000	11,015,000
U.S. Government agency securities
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities	9,354,000	9,666,000
Asset backed debt securities
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities	2,554,000	2,291,000
U.S. Treasury securities
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities	1,996,000	522,000
Collateralized mortgage obligations
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities	816,000	1,170,000
High yield debt securities
Assets:
Trading securities	175,390,000	181,483,000
Equity mutual fund
Assets:
Trading securities	86,268,000	82,542,000
Domestic equity ETF
Assets:
Trading securities	61,806,000	32,651,000
Money market funds held in trading accounts
Assets:
Trading securities	6,362,000	21,401,000
Emerging markets trading debt mutual fund
Assets:
Trading securities	2,550,000	2,614,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value
Assets:
Total Assets	652,559,000	546,012,000
Liabilities:
Liabilities	19,402,000	9,901,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Commodities
Assets:
Derivatives	4,147,000	6,136,000
Margin account	21,752,000	4,314,000
Liabilities:
Derivatives	9,722,000	1,779,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Interest rate swaps
Liabilities:
Derivatives	9,256,000	7,715,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Foreign currencies
Assets:
Derivatives	1,039,000	1,675,000
Liabilities:
Derivatives	424,000	407,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Other current assets | Commodities
Assets:
Derivative assets and liabilities, net basis	16,612,000	9,267,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Other current liabilities | Commodities
Liabilities:
Derivatives	435,000	596,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Money market funds
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities	236,974,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Money market funds | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities		142,432,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Corporate bonds
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities	11,757,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Corporate bonds | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities		11,015,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | U.S. Government agency securities
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities	9,354,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | U.S. Government agency securities | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities		9,666,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Asset backed debt securities
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities	2,554,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Asset backed debt securities | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities		2,291,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | U.S. Treasury securities | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities	1,996,000	522,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Collateralized mortgage obligations
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities	816,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Collateralized mortgage obligations | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities		1,170,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | High yield debt securities | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Trading securities	175,390,000	181,483,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Equity mutual fund | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Trading securities	86,268,000	82,542,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Domestic equity ETF | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Trading securities	61,806,000	32,651,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Money market funds held in trading accounts | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Trading securities	6,362,000	21,401,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Emerging markets trading debt mutual fund | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Trading securities	2,550,000	2,614,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Other trading investments | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Trading securities	1,792,000	2,779,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Domestic equity securities | Other current assets
Assets:
Trading securities	35,600,000	33,857,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Foreign equity securities | Other current assets
Assets:
Trading securities	6,780,000	6,532,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Fixed income mutual funds | Other current assets
Assets:
Trading securities	4,415,000	4,570,000
Recurring basis | Fair Value | Other | Other current assets
Assets:
Trading securities	2,959,000	2,676,000
Recurring basis | Level 1
Assets:
Total Assets	447,413,000	335,140,000
Liabilities:
Liabilities	9,722,000	1,779,000
Recurring basis | Level 1 | Commodities
Assets:
Derivatives	4,147,000	6,136,000
Liabilities:
Derivatives	9,722,000	1,779,000
Recurring basis | Level 1 | Money market funds
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities	236,974,000
Recurring basis | Level 1 | Money market funds | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities		142,432,000
Recurring basis | Level 1 | Equity mutual fund | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Trading securities	86,268,000	82,542,000
Recurring basis | Level 1 | Domestic equity ETF | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Trading securities	61,806,000	32,651,000
Recurring basis | Level 1 | Money market funds held in trading accounts | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Trading securities	6,362,000	21,401,000
Recurring basis | Level 1 | Emerging markets trading debt mutual fund | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Trading securities	2,550,000	2,614,000
Recurring basis | Level 1 | Domestic equity securities | Other current assets
Assets:
Trading securities	35,600,000	33,857,000
Recurring basis | Level 1 | Foreign equity securities | Other current assets
Assets:
Trading securities	6,780,000	6,532,000
Recurring basis | Level 1 | Fixed income mutual funds | Other current assets
Assets:
Trading securities	4,415,000	4,570,000
Recurring basis | Level 1 | Other | Other current assets
Assets:
Trading securities	2,511,000	2,405,000
Recurring basis | Level 2
Assets:
Total Assets	205,146,000	210,872,000
Liabilities:
Liabilities	9,680,000	8,122,000
Recurring basis | Level 2 | Interest rate swaps
Liabilities:
Derivatives	9,256,000	7,715,000
Recurring basis | Level 2 | Foreign currencies
Assets:
Derivatives	1,039,000	1,675,000
Liabilities:
Derivatives	424,000	407,000
Recurring basis | Level 2 | Corporate bonds
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities	11,757,000
Recurring basis | Level 2 | Corporate bonds | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities		11,015,000
Recurring basis | Level 2 | U.S. Government agency securities
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities	9,354,000
Recurring basis | Level 2 | U.S. Government agency securities | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities		9,666,000
Recurring basis | Level 2 | Asset backed debt securities
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities	2,554,000
Recurring basis | Level 2 | Asset backed debt securities | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities		2,291,000
Recurring basis | Level 2 | U.S. Treasury securities | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities	1,996,000	522,000
Recurring basis | Level 2 | Collateralized mortgage obligations
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities	816,000
Recurring basis | Level 2 | Collateralized mortgage obligations | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Available-for-sale securities		1,170,000
Recurring basis | Level 2 | High yield debt securities | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Trading securities	175,390,000	181,483,000
Recurring basis | Level 2 | Other trading investments | Short-term investments.
Assets:
Trading securities	1,792,000	2,779,000
Recurring basis | Level 2 | Other | Other current assets
Assets:
Trading securities	$448,000	$271,000

Derivatives_and_Fair_Value_of_3

Derivatives and Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Details 2) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Apr. 04, 2015	Dec. 31, 2010
	bu	bu	lb	agreement
Net commodity purchase contracts | Grain
Derivative commodity instruments
Nonmonetary notional amount	33,775,000	10,697,000
Net commodity purchase contracts | Hogs
Derivative commodity instruments
Nonmonetary notional amount	24,200,000	19,800,000
Net commodity purchase contracts | Sugar
Derivative commodity instruments
Nonmonetary notional amount	9,390,000	15,551,000
Net commodity purchase contracts | Soybean oil
Derivative commodity instruments
Nonmonetary notional amount	960,000	19,620,000
Net commodity purchase contracts | Soybean meal
Derivative commodity instruments
Nonmonetary notional amount	365,000	85,000
Net commodity purchase contracts | Dry whey powder
Derivative commodity instruments
Nonmonetary notional amount		88,000	264,000
Net commodity purchase contracts | Cheese
Derivative commodity instruments
Nonmonetary notional amount	40,000
Net commodity sale contracts | Heating oil
Derivative commodity instruments
Nonmonetary notional amount		4,326,000
Foreign currencies
Derivative commodity instruments
Notional amounts	92,901,000	143,961,000	92,901,000
Interest rate swaps
Derivative commodity instruments
Notional amounts	163,000,000	163,000,000	163,000,000	25,000,000
Number of derivative agreements	7	7	7	3
Term of derivative contract				10 years
Eight-year interest rate exchange agreements
Derivative commodity instruments
Notional amounts	22,000,000		22,000,000
Number of derivative agreements		4
Number of dry bulk vessel leases	4		4
Term of derivative contract		8 years

Derivatives_and_Fair_Value_of_4

Derivatives and Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Details 3) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015	Mar. 29, 2014
Commodities | Cost of sales
Amount of gain or (loss) recognized for each type of derivative and its location in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
Amount of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Income on Derivatives	($5,948,000)	($6,584,000)
Foreign currencies
Amount of gain or (loss) recognized for each type of derivative and its location in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
Loss due to credit risk associated with derivative contracts	1,039,000
Number of counterparties	5
Foreign currencies | Cost of sales
Amount of gain or (loss) recognized for each type of derivative and its location in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
Amount of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Income on Derivatives	-494,000	485,000
Foreign currencies | Foreign currency
Amount of gain or (loss) recognized for each type of derivative and its location in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
Amount of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Income on Derivatives	1,533,000	765,000
Interest rate swaps
Amount of gain or (loss) recognized for each type of derivative and its location in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
Loss due to credit risk associated with derivative contracts	0
Interest rate swaps | Miscellaneous, net
Amount of gain or (loss) recognized for each type of derivative and its location in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
Amount of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Income on Derivatives	($4,691,000)	($602,000)

Derivatives_and_Fair_Value_of_5

Derivatives and Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Details 4) (USD $)	Apr. 04, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Commodities
Fair value of each type of derivative and its location in the Consolidated Balance Sheets
Margin account	$21,752,000	$4,314,000
Commodities | Other current assets
Fair value of each type of derivative and its location in the Consolidated Balance Sheets
Asset Derivatives	4,147,000	6,136,000
Derivative assets and liabilities, net basis	16,612,000	9,267,000
Commodities | Other current liabilities
Fair value of each type of derivative and its location in the Consolidated Balance Sheets
Liability Derivatives	9,722,000	1,779,000
Derivative assets and liabilities, net basis	435,000	596,000
Foreign currencies | Other current assets
Fair value of each type of derivative and its location in the Consolidated Balance Sheets
Asset Derivatives	1,039,000	1,675,000
Foreign currencies | Other current liabilities
Fair value of each type of derivative and its location in the Consolidated Balance Sheets
Liability Derivatives	424,000	407,000
Interest rate swaps | Other current liabilities
Fair value of each type of derivative and its location in the Consolidated Balance Sheets
Liability Derivatives	$9,256,000	$7,715,000

Employee_Benefits_Details

Employee Benefits (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Apr. 04, 2015	Mar. 29, 2014
Components of net periodic benefit cost:
Service cost	$2,447	$1,856
Interest cost	2,550	2,403
Expected return on plan assets	-2,115	-2,185
Amortization and other	749	470
Net periodic benefit cost	3,631	2,544
Unrealized gain	299
Defined benefit pension plan
Target allocation and pension plan asset allocation
Number of defined benefit plans	2
Contributions expected to be made to defined benefit pension plans	$0

Commitments_and_Contingencies_

Commitments and Contingencies (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015	Oct. 17, 2014	Sep. 18, 2014	Apr. 29, 2015	Sep. 19, 2012
	item	item	item	item	item
Contingencies
Number of entities, where records requested by court		8	9
Number of individuals, where records requested by court		1	1
Number of search warrants executed authorizing the seizure of certain records from Seaboard's offices in Merriam, Kansas and at the Seaboard Foods employment office and the human resources department in Guymon, Oklahoma.					3
Number of civil or criminal proceedings or charges filed	0
Committed bank line
Debt Instrument
Letters of credit outstanding	10,000
Uncommitted bank lines
Debt Instrument
Letters of credit outstanding	1,531,000
Subsequent event
Contingencies
Number of foreign companies, where records requested by court				37
Number of individuals, where records requested by court				5

Stockholders_Equity_and_Accumu2

Stockholders' Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended		1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015	Mar. 29, 2014	Dec. 31, 2012	Apr. 04, 2015	Mar. 29, 2014	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2014
Stockholders' Equity and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss
Remaining authorized repurchase amount under November 2009 share repurchase program	$50,846,000			$50,846,000
Common stock dividend declared and paid (in dollars per share)			$12
Common stock dividend historical amount on a quarterly basis (in dollars per share)						$0.75
Common stock dividend historical amount on annual basis (in dollars per share)						$3
Portion of dividend serving as prepayment for next succeeding year (in dollars per share)			$3
Portion of dividend serving as prepayment for second succeeding year (in dollars per share)			$3
Portion of dividend serving as prepayment for third succeeding year (in dollars per share)			$3
Portion of dividend serving as prepayment for fourth succeeding year (in dollars per share)			$3
Changes in the components of other comprehensive loss (OCL), net of related taxes
Foreign currency translation adjustment				-5,958,000	-26,775,000
Investments:
Unrealized gain (loss) on investments				736,000	15,000
Amount reclassified from OCL to net earnings				-59,000	511,000
Unrealized gain (loss) on investments				677,000	526,000
Unrealized gain on cash flow hedges					361,000
Pension Cost:
Unrealized gain				299,000
Amount reclassified from OCL to net earnings				983,000	320,000
Unrecognized pension cost				1,282,000	320,000
Other comprehensive loss, net of tax				-3,999,000	-25,568,000
Components of accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of related taxes
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	-256,636,000			-256,636,000			-252,637,000
Income tax rate for foreign currency translation gains and losses (as a percent)	35.00%				35.00%
Cumulative foreign currency translation adjustment, net of related taxes	60,076,000	49,411,000		60,076,000	49,411,000
Tax benefit recorded on foreign currency translation adjustments	0	0
Tax benefit recorded on unrecognized pension cost	0				0
Effective income tax rate for components of accumulated other comprehensive loss (as a percent)	39.00%				39.00%
Unrecognized pension cost related to employees at certain subsidiaries	19,960,000	8,580,000		19,960,000	8,580,000
Argentine pesos | Sugar
Components of accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of related taxes
Net assets of Sugar segment	119,734,000			119,734,000
U.S. dollars | Sugar
Components of accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of related taxes
Net assets of Sugar segment	1,199,000			1,199,000
Cumulative Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment:
Components of accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of related taxes
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	-199,995,000			-199,995,000			-194,037,000
Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments:
Components of accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of related taxes
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	2,011,000			2,011,000			1,334,000
Unrecognized Pension Cost:
Components of accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of related taxes
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	($58,652,000)			($58,652,000)			($59,934,000)

Segment_Information_Details

Segment Information (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	1 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015	Mar. 29, 2014	Sep. 28, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 27, 2014	Sep. 03, 2014
						MW
Segment Information
Total investment in affiliate	$539,004,000			$523,063,000
Notes receivable from affiliates	201,555,000			197,270,000
Loss from affiliates	-11,227,000	-6,644,000
Pork
Segment Information
Total investment in affiliate	80,769,000			79,832,000
Loss from affiliates	-2,653,000
Commodity Trading and Milling segment
Segment Information
Total investment in affiliate	182,914,000			178,344,000
Loss from affiliates	9,249,000	35,000
Commodity Trading and Milling segment | Democratic Republic of Congo
Segment Information
Percentage of ownership interest accounted as equity method investment				50.00%
Power
Segment Information
Capacity of power facility leased (in megawatts)						72
Turkey
Segment Information
Total investment in affiliate	254,253,000			244,560,000
Loss from affiliates	-16,754,000	-6,374,000
Marine
Segment Information
Total investment in affiliate	17,729,000			17,333,000
Loss from affiliates	-653,000
Butterball, LLC | Long-term note receivable
Segment Information
Notes receivable from affiliates	145,450,000
Butterball, LLC | Turkey
Segment Information
Net sales	397,698,000	355,763,000
Operating income (loss)	42,597,000	20,748,000
Total assets	1,008,592,000			1,021,182,000
Bakery business | Democratic Republic of Congo
Segment Information
Total investment in affiliate	56,939,000
Bakery business | Democratic Republic of Congo | Supplier concentration risk
Segment Information
Number of suppliers	1
Bakery business | Commodity Trading and Milling segment | Democratic Republic of Congo
Segment Information
Note Receivable from Affiliates	34,556,000
Flour production in Brazil | Flour | Long-term note receivable
Segment Information
Interest received in cash (as a percent)			50.00%
Interest receivable in kind (as a percent)			50.00%
Flour production in Brazil | Flour | Brazil
Segment Information
Percentage of ownership interest accounted as equity method investment			50.00%
Amount contributed as additional equity to provide additional working capital to equity method investee	2,502,000			3,886,000
Total investment in affiliate	1,950,000			11,669,000
Amount invested for acquiring non-controlling interest			17,000,000
Receivable from affiliates	14,207,000			13,969,000
Loss from affiliates	11,666,000
Proportionate share of deferred income tax asset allowance from affiliates	5,846,000
Flour production in Brazil | Flour | Brazil | Long-term note receivable
Segment Information
Note Receivable from Affiliates	14,018,000			13,849,000
Notes receivable from affiliates			13,000,000
Cargo terminal operator in Jamaica | Marine
Segment Information
Percentage of ownership interest accounted as equity method investment					21.00%
Amount invested for acquiring non-controlling interest					$17,333,000
Daily's
Segment Information
Number of processing units				2
Daily's | Pork
Segment Information
Percentage of ownership interest accounted as equity method investment					50.00%
Divestiture of a 50% interest in Daily's | Triumph | Pork
Segment Information
Percentage of ownership interest sold					50.00%

Segment_Information_Details_2

Segment Information (Details 2) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 04, 2015	Mar. 29, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
Segment Information
Sales to External Customers:	$1,452,358,000	$1,479,636,000
Operating Income (Loss):	27,839,000	65,203,000
Income (Loss) from Affiliates:	11,227,000	6,644,000
Total Assets:	3,714,664,000		3,677,320,000
Investment in and Advances to Affiliates:	539,004,000		523,063,000
Allocation to individual segments of general corporate management oversight costs	0
Pork
Segment Information
Sales to External Customers:	320,888,000	382,090,000
Operating Income (Loss):	16,396,000	60,477,000
Income (Loss) from Affiliates:	2,653,000
Total Assets:	849,841,000		821,172,000
Investment in and Advances to Affiliates:	80,769,000		79,832,000
Commodity Trading and Milling segment
Segment Information
Sales to External Customers:	820,588,000	789,390,000
Operating Income (Loss):	4,482,000	11,930,000
Income (Loss) from Affiliates:	-9,249,000	-35,000
Total Assets:	1,005,576,000		1,103,461,000
Investment in and Advances to Affiliates:	182,914,000		178,344,000
Marine
Segment Information
Sales to External Customers:	236,660,000	200,464,000
Operating Income (Loss):	6,779,000	-7,392,000
Income (Loss) from Affiliates:	653,000
Total Assets:	295,184,000		283,276,000
Investment in and Advances to Affiliates:	17,729,000		17,333,000
Sugar
Segment Information
Sales to External Customers:	45,259,000	50,356,000
Operating Income (Loss):	3,999,000	6,761,000
Income (Loss) from Affiliates:	416,000	305,000
Total Assets:	185,184,000		198,271,000
Investment in and Advances to Affiliates:	3,339,000		2,994,000
Power
Segment Information
Sales to External Customers:	25,131,000	53,848,000
Operating Income (Loss):	2,634,000	-1,684,000
Total Assets:	204,904,000		199,256,000
Turkey
Segment Information
Income (Loss) from Affiliates:	16,754,000	6,374,000
Total Assets:	407,234,000		393,425,000
Investment in and Advances to Affiliates:	254,253,000		244,560,000
All Other
Segment Information
Sales to External Customers:	3,832,000	3,488,000
Operating Income (Loss):	108,000	337,000
Total Assets:	5,324,000		5,887,000
Segment Totals
Segment Information
Operating Income (Loss):	34,398,000	70,429,000
Total Assets:	2,953,247,000		3,004,748,000
Corporate Items
Segment Information
Operating Income (Loss):	-6,559,000	-5,226,000
Total Assets:	$761,417,000		$672,572,000