A well-developed business plan is an important tool in the organization, planning, and funding of any new or existing business including agricultural ventures such as dairy farms. This report will look at the four functional areas of management addressed by a business plan -- marketing, production, finance, and human resources -- in a broad scope as they pertain to a start-up dairy. Data describing the ongoing changes in the structure of the dairy industry will be presented. The goal is to give an overview of the myriad of economic and financial decisions that are involved in managing a dairy business.