4K Cattle Receives Feedyard Commitment to Excellence Award

The Minnesota cattle feeder was recognized at Certified Angus Beef’s 2025 Annual Conference.

Dallas Knobloch stepped back from large-scale feeding with his father Larry to build a high-quality system that works.

After decades of feeding cattle, Dallas and wife Amy downsized to focus on quality. Their attention to detail, relationships and consistency proved excellence can outperform scale.

A decade ago, Amy left her 18-year banking career to join the farm fulltime, just as their children Tory and Claire were growing up and showing interest. That shift allowed the family to streamline operations and move forward.

Today, with Tory’s wife Sadie and daughter Ivy, the Knoblochs run 4K Cattle near Hills, Minn., feeding 2,500 cattle across eight nearby locations, managing 1,000 crop acres, and maintaining a 125-head cow herd. Their success earned the 2025 Certified Angus Beef (CAB) Feedyard Commitment to Excellence award.

Details Add Up
Amy’s return helped Dallas expand the cow herd and begin managing nearby small yards. He focused on consistency and honed in on details like timing and quality of feed, shrink and herd health.

Dallas built relationships across the system, from neighbors to Dakota ranchers and packers like Upper Iowa Beef. Buying ranch-direct calves became a game-changer, sparked by connections with Angus seedstock producers during the 2020 market shift.

“In today’s weight market, there’s a $50 to $100 per-head difference between the producer and me,” he explains. “I realized I was paying over $50,000 just in commission.”

Beyond cost, unknown management practices led to herd health challenges. So, they went direct.

“When the market is low, I give those 50 to 70 bucks to the rancher,” Dallas says. “Lately, ranchers let us keep the margin, trusting we’ll return next year.”

Data, Cattle Return
Knowing the background and genetics of his cattle improves feed efficiency and herd health. Dallas shares health and carcass data with ranchers, fostering long-term improvement.

“It takes two and a half years to find those details,” he says. “Asking a producer to change something drastically may disrupt decades of work.”

Instead of pushing change, he invites ranchers to see harvest-ready pens and discuss genetics, vaccination protocols and handling.

South Dakota rancher David Scott began selling directly to Dallas seven years ago. The result: less stress and a simple, rewarding transaction.

“I appreciate his insight,” Scott says. “We find a happy medium—a moderate, efficient cow without sacrificing carcass weight.”

A Prime Target
Shared progress strengthens relationships and keeps ranchers committed to selling direct. It’s in everyone’s best interest.

“Targeting Certified Angus Beef has opened doors,” Tory says. “We get more information to improve premiums and cattle quality.”

4K Cattle markets one to three loads weekly for 45 weeks a year. Their partnership with Upper Iowa Beef provides timely data and open communication.

“It’s critical to our success,” Dallas says. “It tells us what’s working and how to get a premium to our cow-calf breeder.”

It all starts with genetics.

“Angus cattle are required to make the grid work,” he says. “Feed efficiency, meat quality, Prime grades—it’s critical.”

In 2024, they delivered 3,700 head to Upper Iowa, 90% black-hided, all marketed on the grid. Recent loads graded over 60% Prime.

“Certified Angus Beef has become a priority,” Dallas says, now that manageable scale allows focus on the finer details that deliver quality and consistency consumers want.
Tory notes, “We expect the same quality on our plates as we expect on theirs.”

Detail Discipline
Dallas, Amy and Tory work together to build a database and understand their true cost of gain. They crunch numbers and stay consistent.

In every market, pounds pay—but discipline in quality details pays more. Health maintenance is key to pocketing premiums.

“Every morning, we walk cattle,” Dallas says. “It’s the highest-paying job on the farm.”

Vigilance supports consistency in health, record keeping, pen management, feed timing and quality. That’s why Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) is foundational to both consumer confidence and cattle performance.

The Knoblochs prioritize schedules tailored to cattle needs—like leaving at 2:30 a.m. to haul calves home from the Dakotas to reduce stress.

Dallas works with his veterinarian to fine-tune vaccination protocols. During ranch visits, he even provides a key vaccine to ranchers at no charge.

“It’s a 56-cent shot that saves me thousands a year,” he says.

Tory adds, “My dad is particular about the details and the numbers because we chase quality.”

Since returning full-time two years ago, Tory has helped improve care and management. A new feed truck and semi-trailer enhanced feeding consistency and handling—with Tory behind the wheel.

As the Knoblochs continue refining their system, they prove excellence requires intention.

“It’s not just about dollars and cents,” Amy says. “It’s about opportunity—for our kids to find interest and have more open doors than we had.”

With every load, every pen walk, and every conversation across the supply chain, they’re building a legacy rooted in quality.

The Knobloch family received their award in September at the 2025 Certified Angus Beef Annual Conference in Austin, Texas. Find the original story published in the October 2025 Angus Journal.

–Certified Angus Beef