**The National Association of Counties, National Farmers Union and 13 other organizations are asking Congress to block the Trump administration’s plan to eliminate USDA’s undersecretary for rural development.

In a letter to leaders of the House and Senate Ag committees, the groups say the plan will downgrade rural development programs within USDA, not elevate their importance as the administration argues.

The letter also argues the advisers charged with running the RD programs will likely be overburdened, increasing the chances for mismanagement and waste.

**Syngenta is making big changes in its North American Seeds leadership team with the selection of David Hollinrake as President of Syngenta Seeds.

Syngenta officials say he brings more than 25 years of agriculture experience and a laser focus on meeting customer needs, with a proven track record in strategic and product planning, organizational design, business development, and sales and marketing.

Hollinrake was Vice President of North America Marketing and Portfolio Management for Bayer CropScience LP.

**It’s not just about milk any more. The dairy industry is launching a multiyear campaign to persuade consumers of the goodness of all kinds of dairy products, including yogurt, cheese, whey, ice cream, and, of course, milk.

“Undeniably Dairy” will employ popular social media applications such as Snapchat, television and the internet to trumpet the value of dairy products to consumers, at a time when milk consumption is falling, in part because of competition from non-dairy products.

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