Editing Brownfield, Texas (section)

==Economy==
Cotton farming is the backbone of Brownfield. Cotton fields stretch for miles, and the harvest season in October has harvesters (locally called cotton strippers), module builders, and module trucks all over the county.

A haze develops over the city as the local cotton gins go to work stripping the cotton from the burr, separating the seeds, and then compressing the cotton into 500-lb bales. The haze is actually fine cotton dust, and sometimes small drifts develop in the street resembling snow mixed with red soil.

Peanut growing has found a toehold on the economy, as have vineyards. In recent years, grape growing has made Terry County a producer of wine grapes used as filler for inexpensive wines.<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1326525215971680259|user=capt_mx|title=Filler grapes!<!-- full text of tweet that Twitter returned to the bot (excluding links) added by TweetCiteBot. This may be better truncated or may need expanding (TW limits responses to 140 characters) or case changes. --> |date=11 November 2020}}</ref> Several wineries are now established in the county, which produce average-to-poor quality wine according to numerous reviews and wine review aggregator websites.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vivino.com/search/wines?q=terry+county|title=Terry County|website=vivino.com|access-date=February 23, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.winemag.com/?s=high%20plains&drink_type=wine&page=1&search_type=reviews |title=High Plains|website=Wine Enthusiast|access-date=February 23, 2022}}</ref> Local farmers, ranchers, and landowners began growing grapes here as early as 1950, with a few new wineries near the city due to the repeal of fully dry county status in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.winemag.com/2021/03/30/texas-high-plains-wine-country/|title='Let the Grapes Speak for Themselves': Texas High Plains' Wine Country Contains Multitudes|first=Amy Beth|last=Wright|date=March 30, 2021|website=Wine Enthusiast}}</ref> Several older and more notable wineries are in the Lubbock area, about 30 miles northeast.

Oil production continues to drop from its previous levels in the 1980s. According to current trends, Terry County and Brownfield will continue to decline significantly in oil production and importance in West Texas.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.texas-drilling.com/terry-county|title=Terry County, TX Oil Wells, Operators, and Production Data|website=www.texas-drilling.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.texas-drilling.com/terry-county/brownfield|title=Oil Wells and Drilling Locations near Brownfield, TX|website=www.texas-drilling.com}}</ref>

[[Wal-Mart]] chose to not renew their lease on their facility on the eastern edge of town, saying the town was not sufficiently economically viable for them to continue to operate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lubbockonline.com/local-news/2016-10-07/brownfield-lamesa-residents-shocked-about-wal-marts-leaving|title=Brownfield, Lamesa residents 'shocked' about Wal-Marts leaving - News - Lubbock Avalanche-Journal - Lubbock, TX|website=www.lubbockonline.com}}</ref>