Made in the USA – clarification

We get asked occasionally if our nets are Made in the USA.  I thought it was a good time to clarify what that really means in the eyes of the government.

Made in America (or Made in USA), both mean the same thing.  In order for a product to be legally labeled as either one, The product has to be pretty much made in its entirety in the USA.

This means any product we purchase (which goes all the way down to is base form) is not 100% from the USA we cannot label our products as “Made in USA” or “Made in America”, Even though we do indeed design and make the finished slow feed hay net products in our shop for retail.   When you purchase from us you are still supporting a small woman owned business in the USA.

Example:  This is the same as if you go to a craft show, the crafters make their items to sell but most will not fall in the “Made In USA” guidelines set forth by the government due to where the material that makes up the products they produced ultimately came from. Buying from a local fabric or hobby store does not count as made in the USA  as they did not produce the product.  They purchased it from a wholesaler who could be located in the USA but again, they did not make the material so its still not made in the USA.  The only way to say “Made In USA”  it has to come from a mill in the USA with fiber content produced in the USA.     Hopefully I haven’t confused anyone.

Our slow feed products are made in our workshop in East Tennessee.  We do not purchase finished hay nets for reselling, that is one reason we can offer to make custom products.   We purchase bulk netting and convert it into slow feed hay bags and custom designed products such as our Toppers for the hay basket and Rubbermaid tanks.

We also try to purchase our supplies stateside whenever possible.  But even then, those items may or may not originate in the USA.  Even though not 100% of the content of a product may be from USA origins the upstream manufacturers based in the USA still profit and employ your neighbors so they can buy items they need and put a roof over their head. Everyone pays their taxes to the USA governments which then gets dispersed.   In a complex global marketplace this is just the reality we live with today.  Take a deep dive into any product you buy, even food, and you’ll be surprised to learn where all the various contents originated from.

Sadly there are retailers/manufacturers out there that do not follow the “Made In USA” rules set forth by the US government which hurts those of us who play by the rules.  Hay Burners Equine will not falsify a claim just to make you, the buyer feel good.  We would rather be honest with you, our valued customer.