At the Pennsylvania Farm Show, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding honored six families whose farms had been in the same family for more than 100 years. Among the farms recognized was a Chester County farm, only the second in the state to reach the Tricentennial Farm milestone. Other farms recognized were in Lehigh, Montgomery, Perry, and Union counties.

“These families represent the best in Pennsylvania agriculture,” Secretary Redding said. “Reflecting the 2024 Farm Show theme, Connecting Our Communities, they have been uniting and feeding our communities for generations. They are connecting future generations to their legacy.”

Since the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture started the Century Farm program in 1977 and the Bicentennial Farm program in 2004, over 2,300 Century and Bicentennial Farms have received the honor.

The oldest farm recognized was from Robert F. Cochran, Jr. of Cochranville, established in 1724.

In a town named after their family, Robert Cochran’s family farm endures as a significant tribute to 300 years of local history. Today, 120 acres of the original farm remain in the Cochran family, who preserved the farmland in 2003, ensuring that the farm will remain a farm and not be sold to developers.

Farms owned by the same family for at least 100 consecutive years are eligible to be named a Pennsylvania Century Farm. A family member must live on the farm, and the property must include at least 10 acres of the original farm or earn more than $1,000 annually from sales of farm products.

In December 2023, the department announced that the Shapiro Administration had invested $46.3 million over the year to protect 166 farms forever from development For more on Pennsylvania’s work to protect more 632,000 acres of prime farmland and the PA Department of Agriculture’s investments in our $132.5 billion agriculture industry, visit the website.

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