We knew the counter attack would come, and today the bugle sounded. So says Tricia Braid Terry of the Illinois Corn Growers Association. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) filed a petition in Ohio to bring a ballot initiative to the voters of that state that would dictate livestock care standards. It’s like déjà vu all over again, right?

Ohio farmers tried to beat HSUS to the punch last fall and developed the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board. The HSUS backed petition filed today would recommend standards to the farmers… Because vegans have the best ideas about caring for livestock, of course? Right?

The gargantuan (HSUS) is now the animal rights industry’s richest and most powerful player. HSUS is exercising its prohibition-minded influence in every corner of America, over everything from the pets in our homes to the eggs on our plates.

HSUS pursues a PETA-like agenda with a budget and seriousness that PETA itself has never been able to match. A new Web site is being launched for those interested in tracking the activities and checkered history of the organization.

For a story regarding recent activity in Ohio from agriculture’s perspective, here’s a Link and the text to the story posted online at Farm and Dairy.

Ohioans for Humane Farms, backed by HSUS and Farm Sanctuary, submitted a petition – including signatures from Ohio voters in 48 counties – to Ohio’s Secretary of State in support of placing an anti-cruelty measure on the November ballot.

However, according to Jeff Ortega, a spokesman for the Ohio Secretary of State, the procedure is not that simple. The petition is actually still with the Ohio Attorney General’s office. The official will decide if the petition has a fair and truthful statement before it can go any further. The petition was filed Jan. 27 and the attorney general’s office has until Feb. 5 to make the decision.

If approved, the petition will make its way back to the secretary of state’s office where the ballot board will convene and vote on it. Then, the group can begin collecting signatures needed to place the initiative on the ballot.