WASHINGTON - Farm-state senators on Tuesday attached an estimated $4 billion in agricultural disaster money to a massive spending bill designed to pay for the Iraq war and Hurricane Katrina.

The bill would pay farmers and ranchers around the country for recent losses due to drought, flooding, disease and other disasters. It also would give many farmers an increase on their current federal subsidy check because of higher energy expenses.

Twenty-seven members of the Senate have co-sponsored legislation to provide the money, with several of them saying that their states should not be ignored as Congress sends dollars to the Gulf Coast and overseas.

"Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf very hard, but it also hit the agriculture industry hard, and this amendment will help our producers make up for the rising fuel and fertilizer costs they have incurred," said Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., who co-sponsored the committee amendment with Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.

Senators pushed similar legislation in 2005, but it was scuttled by fiscal conservatives. Members of the House, which has a lower percentage of farm-state members, have often balked at higher spending for agriculture programs.

Even so, Congress has approved several agriculture disaster funding packages in the last few years.

Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., who authored the disaster bill, said he hopes House members will be empathetic to the cause.

"I hope this year, with all of the House members who have been affected by various types of disasters, that this will go the whole way," he said.

The bill would provide assistance to farmers around the country, including those who have suffered losses due to Hurricane Katrina, wildfires in Texas and flooding in Hawaii, North Dakota and California.

Dorgan said 1 million acres were not planted in North Dakota last year because of torrential rains in the state.

In contrast, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said farmers and ranchers in his state need help because of an ongoing drought.

"When a community or an industry is impacted by a natural disaster, we extend a helping hand," he said. "Agriculture should not be any different."

Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and Sens. Christopher Bond and Jim Talent, R-Mo., also praised the bill.

"Some farmers have seen their energy bills double in recent years, which is especially debilitating because they are already operating on tight profit margins," Brownback said. "These increases in overhead costs can have a devastating effect on our farmers and food supply."