Brownfield lies in the center of Terry County, in the southern portion of the South Plains and Llano Estacado.

The city rests on a windblown deposit called the Blackwater Draw Formation, which is underlain by a thick layer of caliche, referred to locally as the "caprock".

The Caprock Escarpment, about 50 miles east, forms a precipitous drop of about 1,000 feet (305 m) and exposes various geologic layers.

The only terrain variation lies at the south end of the city, where Lost Draw carves a channel that runs across the entire county.

Lost Draw formed over 10,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age, when the climate of the area was much wetter.

When the vast glaciers of the north retreated, they left numerous dry river channels crisscrossing the Llano Estacado.

The soil creates an almost iridescent red color during sunrise and sunset due to the high iron oxide content.

Brownfield lies in a semiarid temperate zone, where high winds and extreme temperature variations are the norm.

The most significant time of the year for weather events starts in March and runs through September, when severe thunderstorms form on the Great Plains.

The haze is actually fine cotton dust, and sometimes small drifts develop in the street resembling snow mixed with red soil.

[10][11] 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.

According to current trends, Terry County and Brownfield will continue to decline significantly in oil production and importance in West Texas.

[17] Brownfield has an extremely high sexually transmitted infection rate of gonorrhea, chlamydia, and most notably syphilis, which is much higher than the state average (7.8 per 100,000).

[23] Brownfield ISD is considered a historically low-performing school district with abnormally high teacher turnover according to the local newspaper.

[6] Several town meetings were held in 2008 to discuss the issue of selling beer and wine in Terry County.

[27][28] On November 4, a majority of registered voters voted to legalize the sale of beer and wine in Terry County (1533 for, 1211 against).