January 2/Cleveland/Plain Dealer -- Here are the top trends from the food and fashion worlds to watch for this new year of 2013:
Higher meat prices: The drought of 2012 is bound to have long-term ramifications. Beef, which has a longer feedlot-to-table cycle, is likely to be hardest hit, although the price for chicken and other animal protein [including eggs] will probably rise. As the prices of feed grains such as corn and soybeans skyrocketed following crop devastation, cattle farmers culled herds to reduce feed costs. The U.S. Agriculture Department and other analysts predict a steady rise in prices.