Dual-purpose (milk and beef) farms in the tropics are characterised by 1) a high variability of nutritional management systems, and 2) their flexibility to adapt to changing conditions. An appropriate characterisation and classification of these systems is necessary to determine efficient and sustainable resource management strategies according to the different goals or productive orientation of the farms. A prospective study for characterising the nutritional management systems of dual purpose farms in Costa Rica was carried out. The dynamics of the farms, in terms of management intensity and productive orientation, are described and discussed.