As a nation, we are about to embark upon an interesting time in our history -- especially in the ongoing movement for social change and social justice.  On the one hand, we celebrate the extraordinary election of Barack Obama as our nation’s first African-American president.  At the same time, however, we have the sobering reality that our nation is confronted with the most serious economic crisis we have seen in the last half-century. 

California’s farm and ranch families are paying top dollar for inadequate health insurance that leaves them at financial risk. While nine in 10 farm and ranch operators have health insurance, one in five reported that insurance premiums and other out-of-pocket health care costs are causing financial problems and eating up large percentages of their income. Farm and ranch operators are especially hard hit because they are often forced buy insurance on individual, non-group market, where insurance costs more and covers less.   

Photo courtesy Megan Klugh, Davis Life Magazine