Officials recognize 300-year-old family farm
The Chester County commissioners recently toured Hidden View Farm in Cochranville, owned for three centuries by the Cochran family, to recognize its Tricentennial Farm designation, is one of just two farms in Pennsylvania to achieve such an honor.
The Cochran family established Hidden View Farm in 1724 in Cochranville — which is named for the family — after they immigrated from Scotland, by way of Northern Ireland. Current owners Robert and Adrienne Cochran still have the original deeds to the property that were signed by William Penn’s sons.
Over the centuries, the farm has been home to seven generations of the Cochran family, as well as to a thriving crop farm, butcher shop, beef cattle operation, and many horses. Today, the Cochrans farm 35 acres of hay for cattle and horses, and lease 75 acres to a neighboring farmer who grows corn, wheat, soybeans, and cover crops. The family also enjoys fox hunting and keeps a kennel of hounds.
To be a Tricentennial Farm, a farm needs to be owned by the same family for at least 300 years. A family member must live on the farm on a permanent basis; and the farm must consist of at least 10 acres of the original holding, or gross more than $1,000 annually from the sale of farm products.
As part of the recognition, commissioners’ Chairman Josh Maxwell and Commissioner Eric Roe presented a citation to the Cochrans and their daughters Abbey and Emma, congratulating them on their tremendous achievement of Tricentennial Farm status. In the citation, the commissioners “commended the Cochran family, past and present, for their commitment to Hidden View Farm, their passion for farming, and their contributions to Chester County’s agricultural community.”
Since the state Department of Agriculture began the Century, Bicentennial, and Tricentennial Farm recognition program in 1977,
over 2,300 farms across the state have been recognized for reaching Century and Bicentennial status. Only two have achieved Tricentennial status. The Cochrans initially received their official designation from the Department of Agriculture at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in January.
The Cochran family preserved Hidden View Farm in 2002 through the county’s Agricultural Land Preservation
Program.
Commenting on the preservation of the farm, Adrienne Cochran noted, “Both Bob and I agree that the farm needed to be saved for future generations. It has been in use for 300 years by the Cochran family, and we would hope that by preserving it, the land will remain in agricultural production and ensure the farming tradition will continue for many more years.”