Our Opinion: Take another look at Missouri-made products

You might not realize it, but Missouri-made products are all around us.

If you went to the Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival this past weekend, you probably came across hundreds of Missouri-made products, both food and otherwise.

Our state produces arts and crafts, leatherwork, beauty products, games and toys, furniture and the list goes on.

If you have pets, perhaps you feed them with food from Diamond Pet Foods. Maybe you enjoy Wind Willow dips or cheese ball mixes. Even here in Jefferson City, we've seen products that rival the national brands.

This week, we joining the state's Buy Missouri program in touting the vast products made right here in the Show-Me State.

Throughout this week, which is the fourth annual Buy Missouri Week, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe is promoting the program, which includes an hour-long video being unveiled this week that showcases the work and stories of Buy Missouri's manufacturers, businesses and retail locations.

Gov. Mike Parson founded the Buy Missouri program while serving as lieutenant governor in 2017. Now Kehoe's office runs the program.

"As I travel throughout the state, I am always amazed at the ingenuity, initiative and creativity of Missourians," Kehoe said in a news release. "Buy Missouri Week promotes terrific products manufactured right here in Missouri. The week also reminds Missourians that when we buy Missouri-made products, we support our friends, family and neighbors who work at, and own, these businesses."

As we recently reported, 447 businesses across 90 counties were registered as Buy Missouri members as of July. That means they are recognized for making products containing at least 51 percent materials from Missouri.

In Cole County, there are 16 Buy Missouri members, including Blacksmith Distillery in Lohman, which created a small-batch bourbon to celebrate our state's bicentennial this year.

Visit www.buymissouri.net to discover some of the great Missouri-made products around you. You'll be glad you did.

News Tribune