Wichita ? A top official at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency apologized to Kansas cattlemen for a miscalculation that will mean $3.8 million fewer dollars for a livestock drought assistance program than the state had been promised.

John Johnson, deputy administrator for farm programs at the Farm Service Agency, said the error was discovered Friday when officials realized they had used Agricultural Statistics Service data that included the numbers of feedlot cattle for Kansas, Wyoming and Arizona.

The Agriculture Department recalculated the allocations after it discovered it had erroneously credited Kansas for livestock in feed yards. The program is designed to help cattlemen who are struggling to pay for feed or find places for cattle to graze during a drought.

Under the revised figures, Kansas’ share of the $50 million program will be $948,511. That is significantly lower than the $4.78 million previously promised the state.