Haileigh is the California ambassador for the American Cheviot Sheep Society and is very active in 4-H. She enjoys playing volleyball, basketball and track and field and is a member of the Pep and Cheer Squad. In her future career, Haileigh hopes to become a pediatric physical therapist. "I have been through physical therapy and could use my experiences to help others," says Haileigh.
Dr. LeRoy Krum, veterinarian, is her mentor. He "has inspired me to pursue science…has opened his laboratory and library for me to use whenever I need it."
Haileigh's objective was to compare the numbers of internal parasite ova (eggs) in permanent pasture and range land cattle and determine which land type would produce healthier cattle. She hypothesized that the cattle on permanent pasture would contain a higher concentration of internal parasite ova than the cattle on range land.
Haileigh obtained 20 fecal samples from randomly selected cattle, 10 from permanent pasture cattle and 10 from range land cattle. For each fecal sample, she placed 5 grams in a paper cup and added Fecasol. The liquid portion of the sample was spun in a centrifuge for 5 minutes. After placing a cover slip on top of the test tube, she waited until the ova adhered to it and then tallied the ova by types. Haileigh concluded that the permanent pasture cattle appeared to have had higher ova counts then the range land cattle. She concludes that this information could help cattle managers have healthier animals that have less chemicals and internal parasites.
