Prospects for dairy farm management under milk quota

The Milk Quota System will determine new structural changes in dairy farming, dairy industry, farm management and milk processing management, milk market and extension network and services. Farm management and extension have to be oriented to the fulfilment of the allocated milk quota for Romania which counts 3, 057 billion litres of which 2/3 for direct delivery in the market and 1/3 for milk processing industry, In the prospect of the year 2010, the number of dairy farms will decrease as well as the number of dairy cows, but the average milk yield and average herd size are expected to increase. The optimum farm size for Romania will range between 20 and 50 cows per farm, More farms will become specialised farms and the number of farms with more than. 60 of income coming from cows will increase. The main milk suppliers will remain the North-Eastern, North Western, Central, Southern and Bucharest - Ilfov areas. In the hilly and mountain regions the cheapest and mainly biological milk will be produced. Farmers have to pay more attention to the following aspects : rationale use of financial, material and tabour resources; farm inputs; business planning : cow stock, roughage production, milk production, costs, income, gross margin, profit; keeping production costs under control and looking for, ways to reduce milk cost; milk market looking for a higher price and serious clients; continuous up-dating of knowledge and skills in Farm Management, Modern Technologies in Dairy Farming, Milk Marketing, Farm evidence and book keeping, milk quality assessment system milk quota system and the Common Agricultural Policies applied in the EU countries. Extension network, agricultural universities and research institutes have to much more involved in-delivery technical assistance and training to farmers. They have to join their experience and high competence consultants in explaining to farmers milk quota system and CAP, The Romanian Government policy in Dairy Farming, legislation, how to apply for getting SAPARD and WB funds, co-operation and associative forms in dairy sector, modem technologies, milk marketing, credit and tax system, environment protection rules.