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Sustainable ranching operations have access to adequate forage reserves for grazing and means by which to market livestock profitably. These become even more relevant during times of inadequate rainfall, when marketing animals to balance forage supply and demand is required. Island beef production systems are challenged by climate (semi-arid leeward environments) and geographic location (limited market access). During times of drought and reduced forage (e.g., Hawaii 2015-2016), livestock marketing options become limited since herd liquidation�� creates a backlog for island slaughter facilities Thus, producers either retain animals normally culled for longer periods (further stressing forage resources) or make shipments to the mainland which can be costly. To provide long-term management support to these systems, this project is employing a systems approach to address the following questions: 1) How does the lack of market cow liquidation potential reinforce ranch stress and forage resource flexibility? And 2) what adaptive management practices could improve ranch drought resilience (both forage recovery and NPV of herd marketing options)? Identifying profit leverage points and understanding their impact to the ranching operation as well as NI (Net Income) are secondary points of interest. To address these questions, a systems model encompassing forage and grazing ecology as well as economics was developed. The model is segmented into rangelands of very high productivity, high productivity, medium productivity and low productivity to better capture the islands forage supply. Island forage quality and density is driven by annual rainfall. In addition, areas of higher productivity experience a higher grazing frequency, which feedbacks to affect future productivity. The model will test scenarios regarding onset and recovery from drought as well as management responses to drought (e.g., feed purchases, land expansion, off-island herd shipments, grazing changes, etc.), enhancing financial and management information needed for sustainable island beef production systems.