Hutchinson ? An error by a “doofus” at the U.S. Department of Agriculture means livestock producers in Kansas, Wyoming and Arizona will get far less emergency drought aid than they expected, Sen. Pat Roberts told farmers Saturday at the Kansas State Fair.

Kansas producers had been in line for $4.2 million from an $800 million drought assistance package announced Aug. 29 by federal Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, said Roberts, R-Kan.

But the Kansas share will actually be closer to $900,000, Roberts said.

Roberts traced the difference to inflated figures for Kansas, Wyoming and Arizona used by the federal agency in calculating those states’ share of the money. Specifically, he said, calculations of cattle-on-feed and cattle-on-grain programs were flawed.

The corrected figures reduced the three states’ aid to about one-fourth the amounts originally announced.

“I don’t know what doofus at the USDA did that – like I said, I am in a grouchy mood – but we are going to find out,” Roberts told about 75 farmers gathered for an agriculture forum. He made a similar comment earlier in the day at the Kansas Farm Bureau leadership breakfast.

What Johanns had touted as disaster aid was far from satisfactory, Roberts said. But now that the administration has opened the door to drought assistance, Roberts added, he will let Johanns and President Bush know that farmers need a drought disaster program.

“I will push for one, I will vote for one, and if the President decides to veto it I will vote to override it – because you can’t have farmers out here suffering through a drought for five years and suffering through these energy costs and not address that at a federal level,” Roberts said.

Earlier in the day, Roberts was joined by Sen. Sam Brownback and Reps. Todd Tiahrt and Jerry Moran – all Kansas Republicans – at a meeting with the Kansas Farm Bureau. Also on hand was Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Roberts remarked on growing farm-state dissatisfaction with USDA.

“We are going to work as a delegation to bring some common sense to the Department of Agriculture,” Roberts said.