Farmers Electric Cooperative

Overview

Strengthening Service Across Northeast Texas

Farmers Electric Cooperative (Farmers EC) serves more than 80,000 members across Northeast Texas with a clear focus on reliable, affordable power and neighborly service. As a member-owned cooperative, its decisions are guided by long-term rate stability, proactive outage prevention, community involvement, and continual improvement. With steady growth across its 12-county territory, Farmers EC needed a website that reflected its scale, priorities, and commitment to its members.

Farmers EC partnered with Powerful to redesign its website with three clear goals: increase the use of online tools, feature current and relevant content, and create navigation that feels intuitive from the first visit. The redesign focused on strengthening everyday interactions, simplifying access to key services, and equipping the cooperative with a platform that can grow alongside its communities.

Practical Tools for Everyday Needs

Farmers EC identified an opportunity to make essential resources easier to access and utilize. Important information such as Storm Safety, Vegetation Management, Emergency Kits, and Safety Tips previously existed as PDFs. While informative, these documents required downloading, scrolling, and zooming, especially on mobile devices.

Through Powerful’s PDF Repurposing service, these materials were converted into structured web pages that meet the STAR Standard: searchable, translatable, accessible, and responsive. A visitor preparing for severe weather can now type “Emergency Kit” into the site search and immediately access clear, organized content. The page adjusts seamlessly to a phone screen, eliminating the need to zoom in on small text. If Spanish is preferred, the page can be translated in seconds. Strong color contrast supports readability in urgent situations.

This improvement directly supports Farmers EC’s focus on preparedness and proactive service. During storm season, access to clear safety information matters. When a member can review vegetation clearance guidelines or emergency planning steps quickly from a mobile device, the website becomes a trusted resource in real time.

In addition to repurposing informational documents, Farmers EC transformed key PDFs into online forms, including Start Service applications, Charitable Funding applications, and Solar applications. Each form guides visitors step by step, clearly identifies required fields, and provides confirmation once submitted. A new resident can apply for electric service without printing paperwork. A local nonprofit can submit a funding request through Operation Round Up online. A member exploring solar installation can begin the application process at their convenience. These streamlined forms encourage greater use of online tools and make participation in cooperative programs more accessible across the service territory.

Supporting Ongoing Communication

Farmers EC places strong value on clear communication and transparency. With an active YouTube channel and regular community initiatives, the cooperative produces content that highlights programs, updates, and educational topics. Through Powerful’s Blog web app, Farmers EC can feature its latest videos directly on the homepage in an easy-to-browse format. Visitors see current topics such as Operation Round Up stories and energy-focused updates. This visibility keeps the cooperative’s work front and center.

To ensure the site remains current long after launch, Farmers EC opted into Powerful’s Virtual Webmaster services. This provides ongoing access to content support for adding pages, revising information, updating navigation, refreshing images, and refining calls to action. When new programs roll out or updates are needed, the team can quickly coordinate with Powerful to keep the website aligned with cooperative priorities.

Farmers EC also participated in Powerful’s Accessibility Consulting and Training. Through hands-on instruction, staff gained a deeper understanding of web accessibility standards, including color contrast, heading structure, and clear formatting practices. This knowledge empowers the team to confidently maintain and update content in ways that support all visitors.

Together, these solutions create a sustainable approach to website content management. Farmers EC now has the tools, support, and knowledge to keep its website aligned with member needs while maintaining the clarity and accessibility expected from a modern cooperative.