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 Billy Sifers has owned his Powhatan farm for 30 years. “I’m too old to start over,” he says. (Photo by Skip Rowland) Growing pains By Roslyn Ryan
Feb 06, 2008 For Billy Sifers, the owner and operator of one of Powhatan County’s only two remaining grain farms, the cars were the first sign of trouble. Thirty years go, he said, he used to see five or six vehicles pass by during the hour it took him to cut his front field, which sits right off the road. Now, after the completion of the 711 and 288 interchange just a few miles away, he can easily count 20 times that many. Sifers, a one-man operation, currently grows corn, soybeans, wheat and barley. He had a small cow and calf operation until two years ago, he said, but gave it up when the traffic got so bad that he couldn’t get his equipment across the road to feed the animals every day. The Powhatan Planning Commission recently recommended approval for an inn and conference center to be developed at the historic Malvern property just a few miles from Sifers’ land. The owners of the property, Tim and Lisa Benusa, are also the owners of The Mill at Fine Creek, a reception facility also located on Rt. 711. For Sifers, approving the new facility will be like throwing gas on a fire. “The traffic is absolutely horrendous over here, and it’s only going to get worse,” he said. Sifers said he’s upset with the way planners have handled the growth in the area, explaining that he feels as if he’s been lied to. “When I built this farm 30 years ago they said it was never going to be changed,” he said. “[They said] it was always going to be that way.”
The first meeting of the Huguenot Trail Advisory Committee will be held Tuesday Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. at Manakin Episcopal Church, 985 Huguenot Trail.
Sifers’ fear that he is part of a dying breed is not entirely unfounded. Powhatan, like many other communities across the country, has shifted over the years from a quiet farming community to a more densely populated area. “The decline of family farming is a national trend, not just an issue in Powhatan,” said Powhatan’s Economic Director Sherry Swinson, attributing the decline to a wide range of factors from higher production costs to the development pressures that Sifers is feeling. Swinson pointed out that the County has seen a jump in niche agricultural businesses, and specialty growers have been able to take advantage of demand in nearby urban areas such as Richmond and Charlottesville. “They can’t entirely replace the traditional farming operations,” she said, “but they are certainly an important element in preserving the County’s rural character and quality of life, while expanding the tax base.” There are a number of people who share Sifers’ view that the county needs to very carefully consider its course of action with regards to the development of the 711/288 area. District 1 Supervisor Joe Walton recently organized the Huguenot Trail Advisory Committee to help residents examine different options for the area and how those options would impact both the residents and the environment. One of the group’s stated goals, said Walton, is to promote conservation easements that will lessen the tax burden on land owners. The easements still allow for farming in many cases, said Walton, and may be the answer for people like Sifers who fear the land will soon be lost to development. For his part, Sifers said he wishes he could turn back the clock, or at least convince developers to reconsider their plans for the area. “I would be happy of they would just leave it alone,” said Sifers. “They are absolutely going to ruin the whole place.” Sifers said he had hoped to continue farming for another 10 years, but worries now that he will be forced to retire much sooner. What he’ll do then, he said, he hasn’t figured out. “I’m too old to move and I’m too old to start over,” he said. “I couldn’t do it if I wanted to.”
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by Me of Powhatan Apr. 22, 2008, 12:14 PM I am not related to the people living in the plantation house however I do know them. There is only one slave burried in that cemetary other than that they are my family members. Colonel Finney is buried up the big tall stone. And a few other. Im not putting down the neighborhood as much as the fact that the neighborhood has being put up has destroyed part of my history.
by christine of powhatan Apr. 21, 2008, 05:45 PM dear me of powhatan,
by Tom of New Jersey Mar. 25, 2008, 12:04 PM I live in New Jersey, but my wife has family scattered throughout Virginia. I have wanted to move to Virginia for years and now it seems I will have the opportunity. I live in a rural (believe it or not) section of Northern, NJ. I want to live in the same type of area in Virginia. I have done my research and Powhatan is the place. Chesterfield seems to be to much like the densely populated state of NJ. But Powhatan, is the place I want to be. If anyone has any farms or acreage for sale I would greatly appreciate you notifying me. Hopefully when I am there I can assist the prople of Powhatan in keeping there county rural.
by Tom McCarthy of Spring Hill, Fl. Feb. 18, 2008, 08:54 PM After reading the article that mentioned Billy Sifers and the comments by “Brenda”, I would be remiss if I did not add my opinion to the fray.
In closing, you can use my full name, as I would never be ashamed to be called a friend of Mr. Sifers
by Me of Powhatan Feb. 18, 2008, 05:20 PM Brenda I dont know who you are or why you live in this county. My mother was born and raised in this county. I have lived here since I was 7 and im not going on 21 and it makes me sick to see the way it has grown. The way the growth is ruining the history. Mr. Sifers was my next door neighbor. He is an amazing man and I greatly appreciate everthing he does. I sure as hell couldnt do everything he does on a daily basis. I remember driving down 711 when there werent subdivisions every few miles. Before the house my mother grew up in had a neighborhood put up around it. Now known as Elioch Trace. Not many people would know the history behind the name but I do. The plantation house built numerous years ago is Elioch Manor. My family cemetary is in the woods of that neighboorhood but its hard to get to for fear of trespassing on someone elses property. Im done rambling now. Just had to get it all out.
by Nina of Hanover Feb. 13, 2008, 08:30 AM Brenda, Brenda, Brenda… Why do you live in Powhatan? Is it for the rural charm, or because you can’t wait for the onslaught of suburbanization. Does riding through miles of open woodland and farmland make you cringe as you silently (or vocally) wish for it all to be replaced with clear-cut developments full of McMansions and strip malls? Do you wake in the morning, knowing you are just one day closer to either being able to eat out in a chain restaurant, or even better, fixing a heat-and-serve meal from a box labeled “Made in China”? Brenda, if you really want to research things, you should start by re-reading The Lorax ( http://books.google.com/books?id=zXFR7ZF2h-kC&dq=Dr+Seuss&hl=en&prev=http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=dr+seuss+books&sa=X&oi=print&ct=result&cd=1&cad=author-navigational&pgis=1 ) You see, Brenda, you can’t have your cake and eat it, too. The appeal of rural counties is that they are rural and not substantially overbuilt. Without careful planning, we all stand to lose a lot more than just open land. Your attack on Mr. Sifers is simply representative of the lack of understanding that is necessary to fairly and properly plan for change. This story isn’t about Mr. Sifers; the story just puts a human face on the most challenging issue facing Powhatan and other rural counties. I’ll leave you with this, Brenda: the next time your speeding through the twist and turns of Rt 711, barreling through the countryside so you can get to 288 so you can get to Short Pump so you can do some real shopping, and you find yourself held up by a man on a tractor, rather that lay on the horn and curse him, maybe you should just lay back and be thankful for what he does to help put food on your table…
by daddio of powhatan Feb. 13, 2008, 07:30 AM mr sifers is an honorable man....
by Terri of Powhatan Feb. 11, 2008, 01:07 PM There is more at stake here than the family farm. As a resident of 25+ years I have seen taxes ski-rocket, drop out rates and drug use go up, traffic fatalities increase, the list goes on and on. The family farm and the life style it brings to the county keeps a balance that we are fast losing. Brenda and others like her need to bear this in mind, see the big picture and please show some respect.
by Bobby of Powhatan Feb. 11, 2008, 12:33 PM Let’s see here...The man has been farming for over 30 years. Who of all the readers of this article can actually say they have held down a job for that long of a period. Now, he will have to give up his livelyhood for no fault of his own. That is really sad. The government has been willing to give subsidies to keep him afloat. What can they do to stop the overpopulating of an area? Who has the most right...someone who is new to the area looking for a quiet neighborhood or someone that has been in the county for more than 30 years? He has to stand his ground and make a fight! Keep the population down in Powhatan!
by TAMMY of POWHATAN Feb. 7, 2008, 11:01 AM I find Brenda’s comments to be harsh and rude.
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