A June 6 article in The New York Times reports that millions of dollars in federal subsidies to help farmers buy better irrigation systems to conserve water is having the exact opposite effect. New studies show many farmers are misusing the money and are using even more water, the newspaper reports. This is affecting aquifers.

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RCAP is among the organizations and groups that sent a letter to President Barack Obama on Jan. 14 asking him to affirm his administration's commitment to rural America as he prepares for his annual State of the Union Address on Feb. 12.

"We ask that in your address, you publicly commit to working with Congress to reauthorize a filll five-year Farm Bill in a way that revitalizes the rural communities that form the backbone of our heartland," the letter reads.

RCAP, along with 18 other groups, is a signatory to the letter.