Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif.
Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., announced Wednesday that the Democratic Caucus has selected him as a member of the House Agriculture Committee.

With Garamendi, the House Agriculture Committee Democrats have filled their full 21 seats.

Garamendi joined the committee last year after Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Calif., resigned, but had not been listed as a member of the committee this year until Wednesday.

In a news release, Garamendi said that since he serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure and the Armed Services committees, he sought and obtained a waiver to serve on this third committee.

“My highest priorities are promoting regional agricultural commerce and research, including our robust rice industry, our wide variety of specialty crops, and the research at UC Davis [the University of California at Davis]; investing in conservation programs that are important for our environment and for our region’s many duck hunters; and ensuring food security to make sure that children and families in our communities don’t go to sleep hungry.”

California’s Third Congressional District, which Garamendi represents, is home to UC Davis, a land grant institution known for its agriculture and agricultural research departments.

The district is also home a wide variety of crops and commodities, including rice, stonefruit, almonds, walnuts, plums, wine grapes, milk products, and cattle. The district’s products have a total annual market value of approximately $3 billion.

Garamendi and his wife, Patti manage a cattle ranch and a pear orchard at their home in Walnut Grove.