Nancy Calhoun Mueller, co-owner of 3 Calhoun Sisters’ Ranch in Livermore, has been immersed in ranching her entire life, growing up learning the ins and outs of raising livestock and managing land alongside her sisters, Susie Calhoun and Merry Calhoun Carter. Inspired by a family legacy that spans over a century, the sisters continue this tradition while blending ranching with conservation, raising cattle, and actively protecting native plants and wildlife on their property.
In January 2026, Nancy participated in California FarmLink’s Bookkeeping in Practice course to improve the ranch’s financial management. Before the course, she would process invoicing and bookkeeping manually, which made tracking income, expenses, and tax reporting challenging.
With technical guidance from FarmLink, Nancy transitioned to QuickBooks Online, learned how to manage invoicing electronically, and received support for handling agricultural accounting challenges, such as writing off livestock losses. By improving the ranch’s bookkeeping system, she improved accuracy, efficiency, and tax preparedness, strengthening the business’s financial resilience and long-term sustainability while continuing responsible stewardship of the land.
“Working with FarmLink and the bookkeeping course really helped me get a handle on our finances. Moving from manual tracking to QuickBooks Online has made managing invoices and records much easier, and I feel more confident about keeping the ranch’s finances organized.”
Nancy has been working with California FarmLink for over 15 years, receiving guidance on agreement-building services, land tenure, succession planning, and business knowledge with The Resilerator course. This has strengthened her ability to make strategic decisions for the ranch, navigate complex agricultural and financial challenges, and ensure the long-term sustainability of the family’s working land.
The 3 Calhoun Sisters’ Ranch in Livermore is a fifth-generation, women-owned working cattle ranch committed to sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship. The ranch raises cattle while actively conserving native plants, protecting wildlife habitat, and maintaining healthy, productive rangeland. Through partnerships with local and federal conservation organizations, the sisters have strengthened ecological management practices and became the first ranch in the region to earn Audubon Certified bird-friendly status. Their work not only preserves more than a century of agricultural heritage, but also serves as a model for resilient, conservation-focused ranching that supports both working lands and future generations.
