Deaf Smith Electric Cooperative is a distribution cooperative with headquarters in Hereford, serving portions of Castro, Deaf Smith, Oldham and Parmer counties on the high plains.
Our service area lies in the western Panhandle and includes about 3,000 square miles at elevations of 3,600 to 4,500 feet. The Ogallala Aquifer lies underneath most of the area, except for the extreme northwest sections. Water is most abundant on the southern sections. The territory is flat plains, almost all the land is tillable, apart from some playa lakes and draws in the northwest "Caprock" area.
A small portion of the service area is used as ranch land for both stocker and cow-calf operations. The cattle graze on improved pastures, stubble fields and wheat pastures. The growing season is approximately 180 days. Principal crops are cotton, corn, grain sorghum, vegetables, sugar beets and wheat. The economy of the region is highly dependent on the agriculture production, which changes affecting the population, load growth and electricity sales. The maximum demand for electricity occurs during the summer, primarily from irrigation and air conditioning loads during the hot and dry periods.