Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minnesota, was appointed Wednesday to be the ranking Democratic member of the U.S House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management. Republican Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Arkansas, will chair the subcommittee.

“I am honored and humbled to have been appointed to serve as the top Democrat on this important subcommittee,” Walz said in a press release. “The agriculture economy is cyclical, and we write farm bills not for the good times, but to ensure our farmers, who feed, clothe, and fuel the world can survive the bad. As we move forward in the 114thCongress, I’m eager to provide oversight to ensure the Farm Bill is working and to make certain our producers have the certainty they need to succeed.”