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 Most changes in the Florida dairy industry have been similar
in nature but of greater magnitude than those of the nation or region.
From 1925 to 1959, production of milk per cow increased 62 percent
nationally. In the same period, Florida experienced an increase of
127 percent. Total production of milk in Florida in 1960 was 542 per-
cent of the 1930 output, compared to 111 percent for the Southern
Region and 123 percent for the United States. Changing market
characteristics, particularly in population numbers, degree of urbani-
zation and income distribution have occurred more rapidly in Florida
than elsewhere in the South or the United States as a whole. Total
population increased by 78 percent in Florida from 1950 to 1960. In
many areas in the State, growth was even greater with individual
counties gaining population at two, three and even four times the
Florida average rate of increase.

 An over-all reduction in the number of processing plants in
most Flrodia markets occurred in the same period. The largest decline
in number of firms was for producer-distrbutors. In 1957 there were
56 firms of this type. These firms decreased in number to 46 in 1959
and to 36 in 1961. Firms classed as processors and distributors in-
creased from 59 in 1951 to a high of 64 in 1957 and 1959, then declined
to 57 in 1961. The number of distributing firms increased steadily
from 32 in 1957 to 106 in 1961.

 The net result of the decline in numbers of processing and distri-
buting and producer-distributor firms was to concentrate both the
facilities for processing and distribution and sales of fluid milk in
a relatively few large plants in each market. The average processing
capacity for all Florida plants was 7,338 gallons of fluid milk per
eight-hour period. Average daily fluid milk sales were just under
4,000 gallons per day. The weighted average percentage utilization
was only 59.9 percent for all firms.

 Despite these rapid changes, most of which tended to increase
aggregate demand for fluid milk products, Florida remains largely
self-sufficient in supplying its various markets with fluid milk.
Dairy farmers in local market areas provided from 90.7 percent to
99.2 percent of local market supplies of fluid milk in April and
October of 1959. Producers in other Florida market areas provided
most of the local production-consumption deficit. For the State as a
whole, only 0.7 percent of total milk supply was received from tempo-
rary out-of-state sources. Most of this was purchased in October.

 The net production-consumption balance of fluid milk supplies
was positive in two Florida markets. The plus balance was 24.7 percent
of fluid milk products consumption in Northeast Florida. In the Tampa
Bay market there was a 1.3 percent positive balance of supplies over
consumption. For the same period, three markets and the State as a
whole had a negative balance or deficit in supplies compared to con-
sumption. Southeast Florida showed the largest negative balance,
-6.2 percent, followed by Northwest, -3.1 percent, and Central Florida,