Powhatan County, VA – For over 46 years Billy and Margaret Sifers have called “Cedar Creek Farm” home. They purchased their land in 1978 though it was nothing but a cutover forest. While still working full-time as a millwright for Dupont, Mr. Sifers had a vision and slowly and single-handedly cleared an area for their home with a small pond and an area to begin farming. By 1993, when he retired, Mr. Sifers became a full-time farmer leasing up to 1,200 acres of land in the area and managing a cow-calf operation.

The consummate farm with well-maintained barns and grain elevators, Cedar Creek Farm is 16 acres and the base of Mr. Sifers’ business. Over recent years, however, Mr. Sifers has watched as the land he rented and farmed for decades be sold and developed, whereby his operation has dwindled to about half the original acreage. Fueled by his experience and observations that farmland and the rural landscape of Powhatan County is being lost at an alarming rate, the Sifers approached Capital Region Land Conservancy (CRLC) in 2023 to place a conservation easement on land he owns, and the process has finally completed. “Protecting these few but important acres of prime farmland and a well-built farming operation in such an historically important area of Powhatan County is deeply gratifying,” remarked Capital Region Land Conservancy’s Director of Land Conservation, Jane Myers.

The property is situated along Huguenot Trail (State Route 711), a state-designated scenic byway. It sits directly across from Sublett’s Tavern that is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance associated with the French Huguenot settlement in Manakintown and circa 1750 structure that began operating as a stagecoach stop and tavern in 1813. The restrictions of the conservation easement require a 400-foot “no-build setback” from Huguenot Trail to protect public views from the road and Sublett’s Tavern. The restrictions also mean this stretch of landscape, which has remained unchanged for so long, will be protected in perpetuity and a farming operation can be supported long into the future.

The land at Cedar Creek Farm ranks among the highest in Virginia in terms of its vulnerability to development, according to the Virginia ConservationVision Development Vulnerability Model. When asked why he chose to record a conservation easement on his land Mr. Sifers replied, “Preserving my farm was the most important thing I felt I could do. I am proud to have contributed to preserving the rural character of the county and help farming to continue.”

Commenting on the project, CRLC Executive Director, Parker C. Agelasto, expressed, “We have completed more conservation easements in Powhatan in the last couple of years than any other county we serve. I think that speaks to the sense of urgency and commitment landowners are feeling, and I am grateful that CRLC is able to respond.”

About Capital Region Land Conservancy (CRLC): Capital Region Land Conservancy is dedicated to conserving the natural and historic resources of Virginia’s Richmond region for the benefit of people and nature. The nonprofit land trust serves the City of Richmond and 19 surrounding counties. Since 2005, CRLC has helped protect more than 15,000 acres, including easements on more than 5,000 acres.