David P. Belesky

Dr. Belesky earned B.Sc. and M. Sc. degrees in Agronomy, at the Pennsylvania State University; and his Ph. D. in Plant Sciences, with a secondary emphasis in grazing animal nutrition, from West Virginia University.  He joined USDA-ARS in 1978 as a Research Agronomist in Watkinsville, Georgia, and moved on to the Appalachian Farming Systems Research Center in 1988, where he continues agronomic research, and serves as Research Leader for the Center.  His primary research interest is to extend the temporal and spatial boundaries of herbage production in forage-based livestock production systems.  He has published extensively on the topics of environmental impacts on forage productivity and nutritive value; defoliation management in grazed environments; and low-input pasture establishment techniques for the eastern US.  Currently, he is an associate editor of Grass & Forage Science and served in a similar capacity in the past for Agronomy Journal and Journal of Range Management.