Growing up with a farm work ethic, when the opportunity to become a ranch owner presented itself, Bob Funk was enthusiastic and innovative as he began the process of changing another industry. Bob’s first love in the cattle business was Limousine cattle and he has been a stalwart of that breed since he first invests his time, money and energy into it. Express Limousine is still strong and is gaining recognition as a Lim-Flex breeder, crossing the genetics of the Angus breed with the Limousine to produce a vibrant cross-bred calf. Almost two decades ago, an important chapter of Angus history began as Bob Funk and Jarold Callahan negotiated the purchase of the B&L Ranch near Shawnee, Oklahoma, and the B&L Angus cow herd from the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association Foundation. With that transaction, Angus cattle became a major part of the growth and expansion of the Express Ranches enterprise.

A few years later, after his tenure in academia as both a teacher and judging coach and a successful leadership role in the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, Jarold Callahan joined Express Ranches as the President and the pace began to pick up. Uniquely located with the ideal access to both a high percentage of the nation’s cow herd and a high percentage of the nation’s feedlot capacity, Express has become a crossroads for all segments of the beef industry. Five production sales each year share Express Angus and Limousine genetics with all types of cattlemen. The Express Scholarship program is the platinum standard of all junior incentive programs as it moves into its second million of award presentations. Bob Funk believes in America’s youth.

In addition to its bull sales each spring and fall, Express Ranches is among the industry’s largest sources of bulls sold at private treaty. Bred and open commercial females sell as part of the Express bull sales and customer sales hosted and managed by Express provide the opportunity for purchasers of Express genetics to sell both purebred and commercial females for premium prices. As the demand for bulls that feature Express genetics expands with each passing year, Express has become the beef industry’s largest source of seedstock females through the sale of the sisters to the industry leading Express bulls. The proven performance based genetics that have set the standard of excellence for the Southwest in progeny feedlot performance and grid premiums. With the acquisition of the historic UU Bar and Mora Ranches located just outside of Cimarron, NM, 180,000 acres of high-altitude rangeland to Express Ranches was added to the Express Ranch portfolio to enable further development of the genetics program.

A production unit of commercial cows and calves plus 4,000 to 5,000 yearlings each summer will result in the testing of Express genetics under these semi-arid conditions that are common to many of our commercial customers to the south and west of us. Carloads of bulls shown at the Denver Stock Show and the sale of junior project cattle that compete in every level of competition force an ongoing emphasis on phenotype and structural soundness in the Express breeding programs. As the focus of the industry has shifted to added value from carcass genetics, the Express Ranch herd sires have set the standard for the industry with young sires set to push the bar even higher.