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 love for the cattle business started as a young child and he was excited when he started his Oklahoma cow herd in the late '80s and he has become a stalwart of the business since he first invested his time, money and energy into it. In 1996, 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. And as the years have passed, the Limousin cowherd has been dispersed but the introduction of several Hereford Donors has created a foundation at Express Ranches for an outstanding future in the Hereford breed.

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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 Chief Executive Officer and the pace began to pick up. Uniquely located with ideal access to both a high percentage of the nation’s cow herd and a high percentage of the nation’s feedlot capacity, Express Ranches has become a crossroads for all segments of the beef industry. Five production sales each year share Express Angus and Hereford genetics with all types of cattlemen. The Express Scholarship Program is the platinum standard of all junior incentive programs as it moves into its third million of award presentations. Bob Funk believes in America’s youth.

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Ranking as the largest seedstock operation in America based upon sales records compiled by Cattle-Fax and published by National Cattlemens' Beef Association (NCBA), Express will sell more than 5000 head of Angus and Hereford genetics during the year. Express Ranches is an active participant in every phase of the beef production process and has fed as many as 50,000 head of cattle per year. Even the relatively recent acquisition of the historic UU Bar and Mora Ranches, located just outside of Cimarron, NM, has added over 150,000 acres of high-altitude rangeland to Express Ranches. A production unit of commercial cows and calves plus 4,000 to 5,000 yearlings each summer will result in the testing of Express Ranches genetics under these semi-arid conditions that are not unlike many of our commercial customers to the south and west of us. The genetics being developed, tested and marketed by Express are required to satisfy the needs of every step in the production chain. 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.

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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 Ranches provide the opportunity for purchasers of Express Ranches 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 Ranches has become the beef industry’s largest source of seedstock females through the sale of the sisters to the industry leading Express Ranches bulls. At Express Ranches, you can expect to find the proven performance-based genetics that have set the standard of excellence for progeny feedlot performance and grid premiums.