During the 2022-23 academic year, we are highlighting one Colorado State University student or alum from each of Colorado’s 64 counties. The Centennial State’s land grant university has a connection to the diverse lands and people from the counties of Moffat to Baca, Montezuma to Sedgwick and everywhere in between.

Bailey Palmer

Major: Animal Sciences with a minor in agriculture and resource economics (2016 graduate)

Why did you choose CSU: Third generation to attend, great scholarship opportunities, close to home, excellent agriculture and animal science program.

Favorite thing about CSU: The Animal Sciences Department gave me the best industry connections available, and gave me some of my best and most dear friends. The network I have because of CSU is unmatched, and has helped me get a lot of places in my career!

Scholarships/awards in college: Animal Science Freshman of the Year Nominee, Colorado State Science Fair Scholarship, various 4-H scholarships and local scholarships through Kremmling and Grand County organizations, resulting in a fully covered tuition at CSU.

Favorite achievement: Won both the Western Regional and Colorado State Science Fairs, which lead to being a finalist at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. My project was on Phenotype vs. Genotype in testing for tibial hemimelia and pulmonary hypoplasia with anasarca in cattle. This project and its success opened so many doors for me!

Quirky fact(s): Since graduating from CSU, work has enabled me to visit more than 35 different states, and I have moved seven times!

Favorite instructor(s)/class: I have to list 3! 1. Brett Kaysen, Animal Science 101 and other classes. Dr. Kaysen was part of the reason I chose CSU, and he was instrumental in my success in college and the industry. 2. “Live and Dead” with Dr. Shane Bedwell where we evaluated the live animals to predict their carcass grades. It really gave a practical experience in livestock evaluation. 3. “Bovine Reproduction Management” with Dr. Pinedo confirmed my passion for bovine reproduction. That class allowed me to perform more hands-on work with Advanced Reproductive Technologies (ART). This class, along with my background in the field, lead to my success as an IVF Lab embryologist down the road.

Favorite NOCO food and hangouts: CB and Potts was a staple when I was attending school, as well as Fuzzy’s!

Favorite CSU tradition: Ag Day!

I’d like to thank: I would like to thank our family, friends and my community for their unwavering support before, during and after college. I would like to thank my teachers, especially Ms. Harmon, for guiding me on my Science Fair journey, and always pushing me to be my best. Thank you to Dr. Kaysen, Dr. Bedwell, and Ruben Flores for making my choice to attend CSU the easiest and getting me through the transition of starting at the university. And I would like to thank all the scholarship committees and donors. Without them, I wouldn’t have been fortunate enough to go through school, and not have the financial stress of college on me or my family.

What do you tell people from Grand County about CSU: It has the best animal sciences program in the country; Fort Collins has everything you could ever imagine; and the doors that will open for you with a degree from this university are endless!