NRCS has a Conservation Practice Standard 592 for Feed Management available to dairy producers. The goal of this standard is to provide rations to minimize feeding nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) above animal requirements.This can the lower the N and P excreted in manure. One component of this program is a requirement for development of a feed management plan by a certified feed management planner. However, there is uncertainty regarding the amount of time required to develop a plan. A pilot program was funded by NRCS in New York to determine the time required to write a plan. Eighteen New York dairy farms were enrolled in this study. Herds were selected to represent a range in size and management practices. Number of cows per herd ranged from 35 to 900. Daily milk production varied between 35 and 95 pounds per cow. Eleven herds fed a total mixed ration while the other herds were component fed. Forages fed varied from 43 to 95% of total ration dry matter. All plans were written by 2 individuals that were certified planners. Farm visits were made to obtain animal, ration and feeding management information. The planners kept records of travel time, on-farm time and office time required to develop the plans. The average time required to develop a plan was 53 h with a range of 22 to 79 h. There was no relationship between herd size and management system in terms of the time required to develop a plan. The key factor that influenced the time required to write a plan was the quality and ease of access of the farm records. Eleven herds had milk urea nitrogen values >12 mg/dL compared with the guideline range of 8 to 12 mg/dL. Fifteen herds had ration CP >16.5% and ration P > 100% of requirements. The results of this project can be used as a base to determine the time needed to develop a plan and establish a payment rate for planners.