The Chester County commissioners recently toured Hidden View Farm in Cochranville to recognize the farm's tricentennial designation.

The Cochran family established Hidden View Farm in 1724 in Cochranville - which is named for the family - after the family emigrated from Scotland by way of Northern Ireland. Current owners Robert and Adrienne Cochran still have the original deeds to the property which 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, and beef cattle operation, as well as many horses. Today, Robert and Adrienne 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 have been 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, Chester County Commissioners Chair Josh Maxwell and Commissioner Eric Roe presented a citation to Robert, Adrienne, and daughters Abbey and Emma. 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 Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture began the century, bicentennial, and tricentennial farm recognition program in 1977, more than 2,300 farms across the state have been recognized for reaching century and bicentennial status. Hidden View Farm is one of only two to 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 Chester County's Agricultural Land Preservation Program.