Karri Hammerstrom
Agricultural Advocate; Grower of Food, Fiber & Kids; Consumer
Expert Bio
Peach and plum farmer, Karri Hammerstrom is the immediate past State President for California Women for Agriculture (CWA) which is the largest, most active, volunteer, nonpartisan, grassroots, agriculture support organization in California actively promoting the importance of a healthy and vibrant agricultural industry in California, as well as the need to ensure an affordable, reliable and domestic food supply. Karri is also Reedley College’s Agriculture Projects Coordinator for their U.S. Department of Labor grant funded Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College & Career Training program which is part of a collaborative effort of 11 CA community colleges to prepare students to be career-ready employees in the areas of agriculture & manufacturing, alternative fuels/renewable energy, and health. In addition, she teaches classes at Reedley College on career preparation and leadership in agriculture.
Karri has an extensive, professional career history in both the public and private sectors involving agricultural policy, land use planning, environmental regulations, renewable energy, grant writing and management, legislative analysis and advocacy, and local government in the Central San Joaquin Valley, Southern California, and the Central Coast.
She is current member of Fresno State’s Kremen School of Education and Human Development Community Council and Cal Poly-SLO’s Agricultural and Education and Communication Department Advisory Council. In 2008-2010, she served as an inaugural appointee to the U.S. EPA’s inaugural Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Advisory Committee created to provide EPA with solutions that benefit agriculture, the environment, and the economy. She also recently served two terms on the Fresno State Alumni Association Executive Board of Directors and still participates with the Ambassadors for Higher Education. She is the past California Farm Bureau Federation Energy Committee Chair and a past chair of the Fresno County Planning Commission. She also serves on the Lincoln Advisory Site Council of her son’s school; participates in her daughter’s FFA/Ag Boosters Club and HS Softball Boosters Club; and is a published writer.
Karri has a Master’s of Public Administration from California State University, Fresno with Honors, and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in City and Regional Planning with a Minor in Agribusiness from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She lives in CA’s Central San Joaquin Valley with her college sweetheart and husband of almost 19 years, Bill, a produce broker and farmer; and their daughter and son.
Studies, Articles and Answers
Showing 2 out of 2 results
Question
Q: How many people have died over GMOs
A: To answer your question about GMO death statistics, I can tell you that since the very first GMOs were introduced, the number of deaths from GMOs is 0. That’s right – none. Not one single GMO-related death! As a mother and a stone-fruit farmer, I constantly worry about the safety of my children and the future of food production – which makes me question a lot of things in life. Biotechnology, GMOs, and whether there have been any GMO deaths are subjects that certainly fall in that category. However, I wholeheartedly support the use of biotechnology in the production of food, fiber, floral a [...]
GMO Basics Health & SafetyQuestion
Q: Do GMOs effect pregnant women andor their babues? why or why not?
A: Your question is being asked about many things that surround pregnant woman. Recently, studies have shown that many different things can effect pregnancy. Chemicals in water, air, soil, many medications, infections and chronic diseases, poor blood sugar control, tobacco exposure, and even mental and physical stress all carry risk. What happens to the mother, happens to the baby. At risk is not only the baby’s immediate growth and development, but also risk for chronic diseases in later life -- obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome. Naturally, genetical [...]
A: No. GMOs neither affect pregnant women nor their babies. As GMO fruits and vegetables and their non-GMO counterparts are nutritionally the same, the best thing we can do for our health and that of our children is to avoid heavily processed or “fast’ foods. As a mother, educator and a farmer of peaches, plums and grapes, I know how difficult it can be to plan healthy meals and snacks while juggling all the other demands of life. I am careful about what we eat and have extensively researched GMOs, and I can decisively state that I support GMOs and biotechnology. Agr [...]
A: No. GMOs neither affect pregnant women nor their babies. As GMO fruits and vegetables and their non-GMO counterparts are nutritionally the same, the best thing we can do for our health and that of our children is to avoid heavily processed or “fast’ foods. As a mother, educator and a farmer of peaches, plums and grapes, I know how difficult it can be to plan healthy meals and snacks while juggling all the other demands of life. I am careful about what we eat and have extensively researched GMOs, and I can decisively state that I support GMOs and biotechnology. Agr [...]
GMO Basics