Sellers Farm

job that was 40 acres of timber. It came up for sale, so we were able to purchase that. It’s within close proximity to his parents. He is a fourth-generation chicken farmer in this area. We were able to grab that property up and do all of the improvements it needed.”

That was in June 2009, just a little over a year after Samantha graduated. Like Rodney, she graduated from Van-Cove High School, before it merged into the Cossatot River School District. In addition to the acreage purchase and chickens being part of what makes Sellers Farm an award-winning farm, the property holds other fond memories, as well.

“He actually proposed to me on that original 40 acres,” Samantha said. “It all started right there. We always go and center back to that right there.”

Although she did not have a farm background, she was aware of what was in store.

Rodney said, “I told her from pretty much when we knew we was going to get serious, that [farming] is my goal in life, and she jumped right in with my grand- parent’s farm. She actually went up with me and worked throughout the week, helping them. I guess she decided it was something she didn’t mind doing. We’re all involved.”

The couple exchanged vows in September 2009.

“We acquired this right after that,” Rodney said, making a reference to the property their house sits on across the dirt road from the entrance of the 40-acre property. “I was over there working and trying to find a spot to build a house, and potentially build chicken houses over there. A guy came over and asked me if we would be interested in buying this place from him. They were wanting to move closer to town; his wife was getting in bad health.

“When we got ready to build the other two chicken houses, we had to have more land. So, there was another 40 acres of land that joined it. We happened to know the guy.”

“Later, we had done this gentleman’s hay for a really long time and he passed away. His kids approached us about buying his house place with all of the land we had already done all of the hay off for the last decade. We were able to buy those 36 acres and a house. Then we bought another 45 acres across the road.

“Between all of that, we got into a hay shortage. Our cattle started growing, the herd started getting larger. We couldn’t find any hay to do. Rodney had done the Watson place, which is a 300-acre spread of land. Rodney had done hay on it growing up for his grandfather. For whatever reason, they sold it to someone else. No one ever approached the new lady about leasing it, so we reached out to her and

If you or someone you know is heading to college this fall, we want to remind you of an important deadline. July 1 is the last day to apply for the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship.

Since 2009, the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery has raised more than $1.2 billion in proceeds for scholarships. Those proceeds have funded 720,000 college scholarships in Arkansas.

Students applying for the upcoming year and expecting to attend an approved college or university in the academic year following their high school graduation must have an ACT composite score or superscore of at least a 19 (or an equivalent of a 19 composite on an equivalent test).

The amount of the scholarship is as follows for 4-year institutions:

$1,000 freshman year

$4,000 sophomore year

$4,000 junior year

$5,000 senior year

Students attending 2-year institutions are eligible for $1,000 their freshman year and $3,000 their sophomore year.

During the recent legislative session, lawmakers created the Arkansas Challenge Plus Scholarship which provides additional funding for students with an Academic Challenge Scholarship based on their financial needs. ACT 386 requires that Arkansas Challenge Plus Scholarship Program scholarships be funded by available net proceeds remaining from the previous academic year after the transfer of the net lottery proceeds necessary to fund the existing scholarship programs.

The General Assembly also passed Act 413 which requires the Division of Higher Education to update existing rules to allow the lottery-funded scholarships to be used during a summer term.

For more information about lottery-funded scholarships and to apply for the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship visit sams.adhe.edu.

The secretary of Human Services told lawmakers that the Arkansas Medicaid program would continue to reimburse assisted living facilities at the higher rate they were getting during the Covid-19 pandemic, at least until November.

Meanwhile, the Department of Human Services (DHS) continues to review the entire Medicaid system, and will recommend methods of ensuring the long-term sustainability of the program.

Last year during the fiscal session, legislators approved special language in the appropriation for DHS. The special language requires the Department to study and explore methods to increase reimbursement rates for assisted living facilities that care for people enrolled in Medicaid, under a program known as Living Choices Assisted Living Waiver.

DHS hired a consultant, produced a detailed report later in 2022 with suggested new rates for assisted living facilities. The report takes into account staffing ratios of licensed practical nurses, certified nurse aides and personal care assistants who work directly with residents.

The study also takes into account the number of universal workers needed at a facility to clean, cook and perform other duties.

The report calculated how much is needed for salaries, as well as for utilities and building costs, and came up with a suggested reimbursement rate of $96.76 a day for each person in the Living Choices program who lives at the facility.

However, that suggested rate has not been officially approved yet and assisted living facilities are still getting reimbursed at the rates set for the public health emergency caused by the Covid pandemic. That is $81.58 a day in urban areas and $85.67 in rural areas.

Owners of assisted living facilities have been asking for higher rates. They say that their costs have gone up, such as when voters approved a statewide increase in the minimum wage.

According to the consultant hired by DHS, “because much of the staffing at assisted living facilities is paid at or near the minimum wage level, these increases have a direct and immediate effect on the cost of providing waiver services.”

Also, the pandemic increased demand for aides and nurses across the entire country, and many people on the direct care staff of assisted living facilities moved to other jobs. That led to staff shortages and increased pressure on wages. Also during the pandemic, staff had additional duties to maintain safety and disinfect surfaces more often.

The level of care at an assisted living facility is not as rigorous as at a nursing home, because the overall health of residents is better. The special language in Act 213 of 2022, the DHS appropriation that mandates a study of higher reimbursement rates, includes the possibility of setting rates for Living Choices as a percentage of the rates paid to nursing homes that care for Medicaid patients.

Before the pandemic, Arkansas paid $67.25 per day in reimbursement to facilities that care for people enrolled in the Living Choices program.

More than 1,100 people enrolled in Living Choices last year. That is a relatively small percentage of the state’s elderly population who receive Medicaid services, which is more than 45,000 people.

This year the legislature approved Act 198 of 2023 to establish how and when assisted living facilities are to report their costs. The legislature also approved Act 820 of 2023, known as the Fair Reimbursement and Assisted Living Cost Reporting Act. It requires DHS to consider costs incurred by facilities when it sets reimbursement rates for the Living Choices program.

Ronald Perry Robertson

Ronald Perry Robertson, known to most as Ron, was born on June 18, 1967, in Los Angeles, CA, and left us with a treasure trove of laughter and memories on May 28, 2023.

As the great Robin Williams once said, “You’re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.” Ron certainly never lost his spark. A funny, witty, thoughtful, and loving man, he made sure to brighten the lives of everyone he met. His enjoyment of golf was matched only by his enthusiasm for creating lasting connections with others. A man of routine, Ron never missed a day of work, and he always made time for his beloved wife, Kellie.

The past 15 years of Ronald’s career as a pipeline inspector reflected his dedication and diligent nature. However, it was in New Waverly, Texas, where he truly found his home. He was a man who never met a stranger, and his presence was always a joy to those around him. As Robert Louis Stevenson wisely said, “The man is a success who has lived well, loved much, and laughed often.” Ron, in his unique way, made sure to live life to its fullest and enjoy every moment.

He is preceded in death by his father, JD Robertson; and his sisters, Latisha Norman and Victoria Moody.

Ronald is survived by his loving wife, Kellie Robertson; his mother, Betty Robertson; his children, Logan Robertson, Hunter Robertson,

Nathan Alexander and wife Addie, Lindsey Dorcz and husband Dustin, James Wheeler, Kyle Willis and wife Kaelyn, Stacie Brewer and husband Tyler, Jonathan Purselley, and Britany Starns; his brother, John Robertson; his brother-in-law, James Moody; many grandchildren, cousins, numerous friends, aunts and uncles.

A funeral service for Ron will be held on Saturday, June 24, 2023, at 10:00 AM at the Bowser Family Funeral Home Chapel in Mena, Arkansas. Interment will follow the service at the Oden Cemetery in Oden, Arkansas under the direction of Bowser Family Funeral Home in Mena, Arkansas. A visitation will be held on Friday, June 23, 2023, from 5:00 - 7:00 pm at the Bowser Family Funeral Home Chapel in Mena, Arkansas.