AbstractAgricultural production from steep terrain is frequently limited to pasture systems, where forage harvesting is done by grazing animals. Intercepted solar radiation determines the energy available for forage production. A model was developed for estimating potential direct beam radiation in areas with a wide range of aspects, landscape positions, and various shadow sources. The model was applied to a small, steep pasture watershed in central Appalachia to determine the spatial distribution of potential direct beam radiation. Effective horizon was an important parameter affecting the energy budget of the study watershed. A simple means for estimating global radiation from the modelled potential direct beam radiation, given atmospheric transmissivity and cloudiness, was presented. When the proportion of global radiation that was diffuse radiation was increased the effective horizon was less important and the spatial variability of modelled radiation decreased.