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It is well known that feeding a lactating dairy cow only enough to meet her maintenance requirements is like driving an empty delivery truck. The added marginal benefit of every kilogram of feed after maintenance requirements are met is where one gets a return on their - and the planet's - investment. This can result in a natural resource drain, especially in developing countries, where agricultural extension services and pocketbooks are limited, that stems from an unavailability of adequate cattle forages and feeds. These inadequacies have diverse causes: climate change limiting the amount of water available to grow feed crops and water cattle; poverty traps which prevent farmers from purchasing proper amounts of nutrition for calves, heifers and lactating dairy cows at critical stages; government programs that do not fully address the ecological and production impacts of placing dairy cows in regions not well-suited to large herbivores; and overstocking and overgrazing of limited rangeland, with increasing suburban and urban populations demanding more milk and milk products. A nutritional balance of available feeds and forages to dairy cattle requirements in a northern Nicaraguan community illustrates the need for systems thinking and adaptability in rural anti-poverty programs, which, in this case, depend heavily on grazing. An economic analysis of milk value chains in Morocco shows overstocking driven by high beef prices and the cash needs of small dairy farmers. Financial constraints prevent farmers from fattening calves optimally and selling for the highest profit. This comparative case study demonstrates problem-solving options for meeting dairy cow nutrition needs in resource-limited contexts.