Heritage Of The Funk Family
Funk Agribusiness
The Funk families were pioneers in agribusiness, especially the hybrid seed corn industry in America. The Funk’s have been had a significant and continual presence in US agriculture for more than 150 years’ since their immigration from Germany, where they had been well known farmers and business people for many generations.
The Funk family businesses have been active across agribusiness in areas of: Corporate Farming, Hybrid Seed Corn, Chemicals, Corn Wet Milling, Livestock, Commodities and Trading, to name a few.
Funk brands include and have included: Edward J Funk and Sons, Funk Seeds, Crow Seeds, Midwest Genetics, Channel Bio Science, Speciality Hybrids, Funk Farm Chemicals, New Horizon Seeds, Funk Trading, and many others.
Our Story
More than 150 years ago, Barney Funk immigrated to America in order to build a farming enterprise as his cousins did in moving from Germany 50 years prior. Fighting on the side of the Union Army in our great Civil War, Barney lived through the Battle of Chickamauga and for his service was rewarded an honorable discharge, 40 acres of land, a mule and 13 US dollars.
Barney’s son, Edward J. Funk, was born in 1877. Ed Funk was bright, industrious, Christian – and a man who worked from morning till night. Ed and his wife Jennie Funk had 11 children. The children worked as all farm children do. They sold to their neighbors live chickens, fresh eggs, homemade cheese, pork and beef, and boxed ears of open pollinated corn that Ed had saved from the previous year’s crop. They would always be told “don’t sell anything you would not eat or use on our own farm.
Edward J and his sons founded a seed company – Edward J. Funk and Sons – with the goal to provide the best performing seed to their friends and neighbors. They raised the first crop of hybrid seed corn in the state of Indiana and soon expanded far across the Corn Belt.
Ed’s sons were industrious. Among them,Bernard was a sharp young businessman. Mygreat- uncle Carl was a member of Purdue University’s inaugural class to study corn hybridization. Bill was a restless innovator who not only developed marketing programs still in use in the seed business today, but also created mechanical applications to spread liquid fertilizer, of which he was awarded multiple patents.
Seed companies are tested most every year in their production. Sometimes there are wet and cold conditions early, sometimes it’s too hot or too cold mid-season, sometimes it’s too wet or dry later, or and sometimes strong winds, particularly in western production create significant challenges in hybrid corn and soybean seed production.
Edward J Funk
&
Sons
