The US animal fats and oils markets ended Friday February 21 on a relatively quiet note, though broader market developments throughout the week have added ongoing uncertainty to the industry.

Despite a somewhat muted close, prices across most markets trended higher throughout the week, with Midwest and Gulf fats seeing the largest gains.

Tallow prices, in particular, have remained strong, with participants continuing to cite limited availability and firm demand for March.

“People are looking to buy, but there’s just not a ton of product out there lately,” a source noted.

In Chicago, packer-grade bleachable fancy tallow (BFT) rose by 3.68% on the week, trading as high as 53.5 cents per lb on Wednesday February 19. The increase was widely expected, as renderer BFT and premium-grade tallow had also moved higher in the region over the past week.

…