Gov. John Hoeven and Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson are leading a group that will lobby officials in Washington, D.C., for farm disaster assistance.

Hoeven and Johnson will be joined this week by representatives of numerous agricultural groups and some state lawmakers.

Hoeven said farmers in the Red River Valley and the northern part of the state need disaster aid for crop losses due to flooding last spring and summer. He said there also needs to be improvements to crop insurance in the next federal farm bill.

"One of the problems we've got now with the farm program is crop insurance is inadequate," Hoeven said.

The group will meet with members of Congress to lobby for aid. Hoeven also planned to meet with Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns on Tuesday.

Farm-state senators earlier this month attached an estimated $4 billion in agricultural disaster money to a spending bill designed to pay for the Iraq war and Hurricane Katrina recovery.

Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., said the fate of disaster assistance likely will be decided in conference committee.

"The House version doesn't have it in; the Senate version does," he said. "Can we get House conferees to go along? I believe the governor's visit with … Johanns will also be extremely important."

Johnson, who is vice president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, said he will present a letter from the group to members of Congress supporting the disaster legislation.

Johnson said a North Dakota State University Extension Service report shows that farm profit in the Red River Valley last year fell nearly 50 percent, and in northeastern North Dakota producers suffered an average 80 percent drop in net farm income. Statewide, he said, small grains producers lost more than $150 million.