Buenos Dias! Last month Marilyn and I traveled to Spain on a two-week educational tour, accompanied by 30 nursing students, parents, faculty and alumni of Clarkson College in Omaha.

Marilyn, an associate professor of nursing, and another professor teach courses in International Healthcare and Humanities through Clarkson’s Travel Abroad program. I thought you, my readers, would be interested in Spain’s health care, because of the ongoing revamping of U.S. health care, and its agriculture, because many of us are involved in agriculture and related activities.

We all like to eat! And in Spain, oh my, the food was superb.

As we toured portions of the countryside from our home bases in Madrid and Barcelona, we had an opportunity to learn a bit about agriculture in Spain, by talking with folks at various levels of production, from farmer to marketer to consumer.

We took a look at the Spain’s health care system as we visited hospitals, both old and new. We spoke with health care providers, educators and administrators.

Residents of the country may purchase private insurance or participate in a publicly funded option. The latter provides health care to all people living in Spain, including foreigners, if they pay taxes to Spain or have health insurance that is acceptable to Spanish providers.

Most hospitals and clinics serve private and publicly funded patients. Everyone said the quality of care is about equal, regardless of the method of payment. There is no waiting for emergency or outpatient care. Waiting for elective procedures is the most common complaint; if the need becomes urgent it is treated immediately.

The death rate of people who are waiting for scheduled care in Spain is one-third that of people in the United States who are waiting for scheduled appointments, surgery or other treatment procedures.

The cost for health care in Spain is currently 9 percent of their gross domestic product, or GDP; in the United States health care comprises 14 percent of the GDP. Life expectancy in Spain is 81.2 years, which is second among European countries and seventh overall, even though many people smoke tobacco. Life expectancy in the United States is 78.9 years, which currently ranks 50th.

Health care education in Spain takes place in a system much like in the United States. Upon completion of their degree and licensure, nurses and physicians can work anywhere in the European Union, if the government of the specific country where they want to work is seeking workers.

What about Spain’s agriculture? During years of favorable precipitation and a variety of other factors, Spain is a net exporter of food, but often the country must purchase more than it sells. Olives, citrus, fine wines and cheeses, pork and pork products are particularly attractive as export items.

It surprised me that per capita consumption of pork in Spain is greater than any other European country – until I tasted their pork. Spanish farmers produce two main types; the more common is an animal that is similar to most American swine, of mainly Yorkshire, Hampshire or Duroc breeding and crosses.

They are farrowed indoors, raised in large pens and fed a diet similar to American pigs. When these pigs are slaughtered, their hams weigh about 20 pounds and sell for about 40 Euros, which is currently about $52. The hams are cured for 6-24 months.

Iberian pork, the other type of pig raised in Spain, are black, long-legged, narrow-bodied animals with coarse hair and teeth. Most are farrowed and raised in pastures. While some are allowed access to grain feeds, others exist entirely by grazing and foraging.

Iberian hogs are finished on acorns that they find while ranging freely. The greater the portion of nuts in their diet, the more expensive they are. These hogs are older when butchered and their hams are cured for up to three years. Their meat is low in saturated fat and very tasty.

A 20-pound ham might cost $200 Euros ($260) in Spain and two to four times that in the United States; these are the hams used for prosciutto. Restaurants, as well as the markets where everybody shops for their daily food, display the hams hanging from rafters.

Every traveler should visit the town and city marketplaces. They display the local culture, the people, the cuisine and they set most prices. We marveled at the range of food items, from tripe to every kind of fruit, vegetable, drinks and vendors.

Consider ways you can travel affordably. Marilyn and I have traveled outside the United States a lot, sometimes on our own and sometimes with prearranged tours such as our trip to Spain. It is convenient to let an experienced guide or company arrange the trip and accommodations.

Many of our agricultural and professional organizations, institutions of higher education, alumni and church groups offer reasonably priced tours. International conferences are also wonderful venues.

Bon voyage!

Michael R. Rosmann, Ph.D. serves on the adjunct faculty of the University of Iowa, lectures across the United States and abroad and owns a row crop farm in Harlan, Iowa. He is a founding partner of the nonprofit network AgriWellness, Inc., which provides counseling services to farm people.

He may be contacted by email at mike@agriwell ness.org and previously published columns are available for a small fee 30 days after they were originally printed, at www.agbehavioralheatlh.com

His recently published book, Excellent Joy: Fishing, Farming, Hunting and Psychology, is available at www.icecubepress.com