Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., on Wednesday joined four Democratic senators and another Republican senator, as well as the president of the National Farmers Union, in calling for a permanent agricultural disaster assistance program.

A permanent disaster program should be included in the 2007 farm bill, which would aid farmers and ranchers during times of natural disasters without relying upon sporadic ad hoc assistance, Thune said. He was joined by Tom Buis, president of the National Farmers Union, and Sens. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee; Kent Conrad, D-N.D., chairman of the Senate Budget Committee; Orin Hatch, R-Utah; Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.; Ken Salazar, D-Colo.; and Jon Tester, D-Mont., at a news conference to push for the program.

Thune is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, which is responsible for writing the Senate version of the 2007 farm bill.

The House version of the new farm bill, passed earlier this summer, does not contain a permanent disaster program.

"In states like Montana, North Dakota, Colorado, Utah and my home state of South Dakota, we are not always blessed with consistent and abundant rainfall and resulting dependable crop and livestock production. Crop insurance, if it's available, and the Non-insured Assistance Program don't adequately cover damages and losses for family farmers when natural disasters occur all too often in our states and in many others," Thune said. "A permanent disaster program should supplement private-sector crop insurance and ensure farmers receive timely assistance when disaster strikes."

Thune said natural disasters also can strike other areas of the country, including the Southeast this year.

"Since the 2002 Farm Bill was signed into law, ad hoc disaster assistance was enacted for 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 crop years, and disaster assistance is certainly needed for 2007 losses as well," Thune said in a prepared release. "For this year alone, more than 2,200 counties - more than two-thirds of the nation's total number of counties - have been declared natural disaster areas."