Agricultural specialization has increased considerably in Europe over the last decades, leading to the separation of crop and livestock production at both farm and regional levels. Such a transformation is often associated with higher environmental burdens due to excessive reliance on exogenous inputs and manure management issues. Reconnecting crop and livestock production via mixed farming systems (MFSs) could improve circularity and resilience, leading to reduced environmental impacts. The objective of this study was to evaluate the life cycle environmental performance of a commercial mixed crop–dairy cattle farm in Romania and to compare it against the corresponding specialized systems. The evaluation covered both dairy cattle production (milk and meat) and cash crops. Overall, the results show that the coupled system improves environmental performance by reducing the over-reliance on high-impact inputs like synthetic fertilizers and exogenous feed. The carbon footprint for the milk production of the studied system (1.17 kg CO₂ eq.) per kg of fat- and protein-corrected milk (FPCM) was 10% lower than the mean value of common intensive milk production systems. The eutrophication impacts (2.52 × 10⁻⁴ kg P eq and 2.67 × 10⁻⁴ kg N eq./kg of FPCM) presented values of one order of magnitude less than their specialized counterparts. However, the impacts of the studied MFS, albeit lower than those for comparable specialized systems, still remain relatively high. In particular, methane emissions from enteric fermentation (0.54 kg CO₂ eq./kg FPCM) were a major contributor to the carbon footprint. This highlighted the need to address the elevated emissions from enteric fermentation with better feed management, as well as improving and reinforcing the system’s self-sufficiency.

Managing reproductive activity in dairy farms is an important factor in increasing cow productivity and making the farm more economically efficient. The research was carried out in the 5 most important Holstein dairy farms in Romania, during the period 2022-2024. The data obtained were processed and interpreted statistically, compared with the results obtained for these parameters by other researchers. Following the research, average values of milk quantity were recorded ranging from 9749.38 ± 20.88 kg of milk in farm D in 2022 and 15514.01 ± 29.31 kg of milk in farm A in 2024. The age of first calving decreased from one year to the latest in each farm, with the averages falling in the last year between 22.53 months and 24.61 months, and the calving interval decreased with an average value on all farms in 2024 of 401 days. The average duration of exploitation of dairy cows is 4 lactations, and based on the calculation of the efficiency index of reproductive activity, the 5 farms are efficient in terms of using cows for reproduction.