The Daily Freeman is reporting U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado has announced the creation of an agriculture advisory committee to be made up of farmers and agriculture leaders from every county in New York's 19th Congressional District. The Rhinebeck Democrat made the announcement Mar. 4. Delgado said the 40-member group will provide input on the ways Congress can better support small upstate farms. He said the 19th District is the eighth most rural congressional district in the country and the third most rural district represented by a Democrat, with more than 5,000 farms and 8,000 farm operations in the district. He said the best ideas for empowering farmers come from those who actually devote their time to the issues every day. "I'm looking forward to working with the advisory committee to prioritize small and mid-tier family-owned farms who are too often marginalized by Congress," Delgado said. Among those chosen as members of the advisory committee: Columbia County Farm Bureau President Jim Davenport; Hudson Valley Agribusiness Executive Director Todd Erling; Greene County Farm Bureau President James Van Orden; and Bari Zeiger of Frost Valley Farm. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.