ABSTRACT: Volatility ofmarketsandclimatearedrivingexportingdairyindustries toincreasemilkproduction frompasture. However, some regions are not able to grow due to economic, social and environmental constraints. The objective of this study was to analyse at the farm system level the opportunities and challenges for the growth of pasture-based dairy production in Uruguay. A national database of 256 dairy farms was used to compare four groups of Uruguayan farmsselectedaccording to thetotal milkproduction growth ratefrom2013 to 2017.Their productivity (milk production per hectare) and pro?t was compared by ?tting mixed models. Complementarily, the International Farm Comparison Network database was used to compare biophysical and economic indicators of typical farm systems of Argentina, Australia, Ireland, Holland, New Zealand, United States and Uruguay from 2013 to 2017. The growing groups of farms (medium and high growth;>5% per year) showed more productivity due to their higher stocking rate and achieved a higher margin over feed cost and a lower feeding cost per L of milk than the shrinking groups (medium and high decrease;