Products Made in Iowa

Iowa's factories grew out of its farms and its Mississippi River towns. Meatpacking, grain milling and farm equipment plants spread across the state in the late 1800s and 1900s. Muscatine had a trade of its own: from the 1890s its factories cut pearl buttons from Mississippi River mussel shells, until plastic buttons replaced them. Burlington, Dubuque and Davenport grew as river manufacturing towns. Rada Cutlery has made kitchen knives in Waverly since 1948. Winegard builds TV and RV antennas in Burlington, its home since 1954. In Muscatine, Kent Pet Group makes World's Best Cat Litter from US-grown corn. Smart Retract makes Retract-A-Gate baby gates in Dubuque, PowerFilm makes flexible solar panels in Ames, and Woodlink builds bird feeders in Mount Ayr.