Ambrook provides accounting, payments and cash management tools, education, and services to more than 8,000 independent businesses across the country. Our mission is to build a more prosperous and resilient America, by strengthening the financial foundations of independent businesses.

The mission of New Mexico Cattle Growers‘ Association (NMCGA) is to advance and protect the cattle industry of New Mexico, work toward solutions of cattle industry problems, promote the well being of the industry, and provide an official and united voice on issues of importance to the cattle producers and feeders.

This story, featuring Ambrook customer and NMCGA member Jennifer Pierce, is a collaboration between the two organizations.

For Jennifer Pierce and her family, ranching and the city of Roswell have been a consistent presence in their lives for over a century. Jennifer is a fifth-generation Roswell rancher who married another fifth-generation Roswell rancher, so that history is a point of deep pride: “Collectively, our families have been ranching in this area for a really long time.”

Now, as she raises her own kids, Jennifer is thinking about what it means to prepare for the sixth generation. “I hope in five years we have double the headcount we have now,” she said, “that we can start building a legacy for our children.” But there are challenges to tackle from all different directions, like how to mitigate the impacts of drought in New Mexico, or how to grow a profitable business that can last decades. Where does one even start?

In Jennifer’s case, it started with the understanding that conservation and financial management go hand in hand on the ranch.

No Stranger to Running a Business

Jennifer got her first experience running a business when she was freshly starting college. In 2008 her parents put together an LLC called Legacy Land & Livestock, then made Jennifer and her siblings members. Even though the kids had all grown up on the ranch, their parents wanted them to learn what really went into owning one: “They were teaching us how to run a business that we’re a part of. How to be financially responsible and how to make improvements to the land.”

Later, Jennifer and her husband started their own operation, which they called Needmore Land & Cattle. She quickly became the person to take on the paperwork for both operations, tracking compliance and funding for conservation programs they participated in and doing the books for Needmore.

This background has shaped the way she plans for succession and the future: Jennifer has seen firsthand how important both land stewardship and financial viability are, and how the two need each other to work.

Learning About Conservation

The biggest land stewardship challenge for New Mexico producers is the state’s limited water resources, an issue exacerbated by drought. “We don’t have much water,” Jennifer explained. “We’ve never had much water.” That means a large part of running a ranch, especially one you hope to pass down, is learning to conserve and use resources efficiently. Jennifer credits New Mexico Cattle Growers‘ Association (NMCGA) with helping her and other young producers learn about good water management.

NMCGA has been part of Jennifer’s life for as long as she can recall. Many of her family members stay active in both the Cattle Growers’ and Wool Growers’ associations, with her brother Bronson Corn serving as New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association’s acting president from 2023 to 2025. “He definitely opened my eyes to what Cattle Growers’ does for young producers like ourselves,” she said.

For example, every year NMCGA puts on the Cattlemen’s College. That’s an educational program held on the first day of the annual convention, where attendees learn about brush control, meet with companies building new ag technology, and talk with the state office about water resources.

Jennifer loves the chance to visit with experienced ranchers and get their advice on land management issues. “You can sit with the old-timers who have been ranching for 50, 60, or 70 years,” she explained, “and they can tell you what their experience has been in the highs and the lows.” She’s brought questions about juniper and other brush control projects from her ranch, leaving with tips and the reassurance that experts are researching how to handle certain water-related challenges.

Those lessons from Cattlemen’s College are helping Jennifer build an operation that’s adaptable in the face of long-term drought. In return, she has spoken at Association events about the grants she administers in her day job at the Chaves Soil and Water Conservation District, helping other ranchers in the community prepare for future generations.

Connecting Profitability to Land Stewardship

Jennifer believes financial management is inherently tied to conservation, too. “We have to be very mindful about water waste and not wasting our natural resources,” she described. “Sometimes that means keeping track of your financial means.”

That’s why, after feeling like QuickBooks Online couldn’t accurately capture an agriculture business, Jennifer decided to test out something different. She wanted software that made it easy to measure the financial viability and profitability of her work on the ranch. “I just kept seeing Ambrook,” she remembered.

Jennifer found built-in income and expense categories in Ambrook that helped her track specific parts of the business, like conservation program payments and raised livestock sales. “Having those categories already there, it just made it so much easier.” When it came time to file taxes, her books were pre-mapped to Schedule F boxes, so she could worry less about the rush of tax season and focus on knowing where her business stood at the end of the year.

Jennifer sees Ambrook as part of a bigger shift in ranching. Nowadays, there are tools that can help this new generation of producers get a solid grasp on their finances and know their bottom line. “Systems like this give you the capability to see where you are financially at the drop of a hat,” she noted. “You can see your profit and loss. You can see your risks and where you can move money around.”

It means producers can bet on more ambitious projects, like conservation efforts or business expansions, that will allow their operations to keep growing through the years.

Preparing the Next Generation

Looking forward to the day her children might take over Needmore Land & Cattle, Jennifer’s first priority is building an operation that’s resilient with both its land and its finances. To her, that means making the most of opportunities to learn from generations before her and the new tools she has access to.

“I’m really hoping that by utilizing Ambrook and the resources I’ve obtained through [NMCGA], my job, and other associations we’re part of,” she said, “that we can grow our own business exponentially.”

She and her husband are optimistic about new projects like solar wells, shade balls, and brush control that will help them face the drought in New Mexico. Farmers and ranchers, she observed, have always been the first and greatest conservationists. Together, the community is finding ways to make conservation financially valuable, too.

About Ambrook and NMCGA’s Partnership

The New Mexico Cattle Growers‘ Association represents ranching families across every county in New Mexico. Through our partnership, members get a discounted Ambrook Pro subscription for their first year, plus access to educational resources on running ranch finances.