A hundred dairy farms under mixed farming system located in three districts (El-Waqaff, 31 farms, Qafft 27 farms and Qana 42 farms) inQana governorate in Upper Egypt were randomly selected with the objectives to characterize the existing dairy farming systems in Upper Egypt. A questionnaire was designed and pre-tested to obtain data on average crop production, farm size, family crop consumption, crop cost and revenues, average cattle breed composition per farm, animal feeding, family size, average milk production in dairy farms and milk revenue over feeding cost. Data were collected through personal interviews. The results showed that averagecultivated areas/farm was 23.02, 9.15 and 7.07 feddan (1feddan = 4200 m²) for thestudied districts, respectively. Percentages of milk production revenue over feeding cost in the three districts were 1.23%, 0.96% and 1.04% for local cows, 1.31%, 1.09% and 1.44% for buffaloes and 1.22%, 1.07% and 1.12% forcrossbred cattle for the same areas, respectively.  Statistical descriptive and quantitative analyses were used in this study. Average number of animals per farm in the threedistricts were 22.69, 5.00 and 11.39 heads for local breed; 16.05, 4.00 and 7.09 heads for buffaloand 17.55, 18.17 and 13.40 heads for crossbred animals, respectively. Average milk productions were 4.50, 5.00 and 6.42 kg/day for local cows, buffalo and crossbred cows in EL-Waqaff, respectively. While in Qafft and Qana the average milk production was 4.23, 5.05 and 6.79 kg/day and 4.10, 6.02 and 6.29 kg/day for the same genetic groups, respectively.              From the present study it could be concluded that most farmers in Upper Egypt need simple animal feeding technical innovation to improve animal productivity. There is a problem in milk market infrastructure in Upper Egypt. Artificial insemination is important to improve milk production as shown in Qafft (1687.30 kg /lac.) compared with 1645.87 and 1614.53 kg/Lac for crossbred cows in El-Waqaff and Qana distracts. Main fodder crops per farm in summer were: sorghum (2.19, 1.20 and 1.50 kirat), darawa (1.37, 1.11 and 1.14 kirat) and alfalfa (2.17, 1.14 and 1.00 kirat) in El-Waqaff, Qafft and Qana, respectively. While fodder crops per farm in winter were berseem (3.33, 1.35 and 1.26 kirat) and alfalfa (2.91, 1.13 and 0.67 kirat) / farm / day in those three respective areas.