U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) named Delegate Stacey Plaskett to the 46-member House Committee on Agriculture Friday, according to the delegate’s office.

Plaskett had hoped to serve on the committee prior to her appointment, according to a statement from her office, and she campaigned on the need to be able to identify and secure funding from rural grant programs to assist in the growth of the local fishing and farming industry in the territory. She is the first V.I. delegate on the committee, according to her office.

“It was definitely one of the committees I wanted to serve on and it is a tremendous honor," Plaskett said in a statement. "There is much needed assistance to our local agriculture industry, and I have spoken with a number of local farmers throughout the campaign who stressed the importance of our growth and sustainability in agriculture.”

“I want to assist farmers to not only feed Virgin Islanders, but increase food exports, as well as help to sustain our small businesses in the territory. Serving as a member on this committee will better position us to protect food stamp funding and work on increasing assistance to drive our energy costs down through rural utilities programs,” she added.

Membership to the Committee on Agriculture has gradually increased over the course of its nearly 200-year history and is now among the key committees in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Subcommittees to the House Committee on Agriculture include the subcommittees on: Conservation, Energy and Forestry, Department Operations, Oversight and Credit, General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry, Nutrition and Horticulture and Rural Development, Research, Biotechnology and Foreign Agriculture.