The Burrs are in a 50-50 share-farming partnership with the Cox family on a 250-hectare farm at Ringarooma.

They started five years ago with the purchase of 330 cows and have progressed to owning 400 head.

With a nearby farm coming on the market, that number could more than double in the near future, but if the steady- as-she-goes policy continues, that will be fine for the Burrs too.

"We don't want to own land - we're quite happy owning stock and just progressing by growing stock numbers," Mr Burr said.

The long-term farmer sees opportunities for growth and less financial stress from concentrating on stock.

"There is much better equity growth in stock numbers than there is in land," he said.

"At our stage, we don't want the big outlay of buying land and having that much debt - having infrastructure can be good, but there is a bit more risk involved."

Mr Burr said that the family wanted to avoid being trapped later in life by having land that might be difficult to sell.

After leaving school, he started in the dairy industry as an apprentice, working on farms for 10 years before spending four years in other jobs.

He was lured back to dairy with the offer of a management role at a 600-cow dairy farm.

"I was doing shift work and didn't really like that and the opportunity came up to manage the farm so we went back to dairy," Mr Burr said.

About five years ago, the Burrs decided to take the next step and invest in cows, a decision they do not regret.

In fact, with the prospect of expansion on the horizon, Mr Burr is optimistic about the future of the dairy industry.

"I think the outlook for the next 10 years is better than it has ever been as far as profitability goes," he said.

"There will be a downturn in price sometime over the next few years, but long-term it's looking pretty good.

"When prices are up we are able to pay off more debt and keep that under control so when the prices are not so good, we can manage."

The Fonterra suppliers produce between 450 and 530 kilograms of milk solids per cow a year and are enjoying a strong season with improved prices.

"I'm proud just to do a good job and be doing well financially out of it - you can be as proud as you like, but if you cant pay the bills, it doesn't matter," Mr Burr said.

The Burrs have mostly Friesians with about one- third Friesian-Jersey cross.

"From a share-farmer's perspective, Friesians have more equity," Mr Burr said.

"They are a bigger cow and their calves are worth more - it's all economics, 400 Friesian cows are worth a lot more than 400 Jersey cows."

The Burrs aspire to produce about 85 per cent home grown feed but that depends on conditions and the milk price - when the milk price is high, they aim to boost production by supplying above average amounts of feed.

"If the milk price is better than what we're paying for grain, we're happy to put more in to boost production," he said.

"It's a yearly strategy that depends on conditions at the time."

Mr Burr said that the partnership had worked well for both parties over five years and was set to continue.

"The critical thing is to have a really good farm owner who is happy to support you in what you want to do and support growth on the farm," Mr Burr said.

"It's important that the share-farmer is able to grow."

The current set-up gives the Burrs the flexibility they need for family life and Mr Burr said that the image of dairy farmers being stuck on the land was outdated.

"If you want a day off, you can organise it when you want it - being your own boss gives you that flexibility," he said.

Mr Burr, 40, and his wife Karen have two boys, Hayden, 11, and William, 13, and work as a family team living about 12 kilometres from the farm on a separate 20ha block.

"That has its advantages," Mr Burr said.