Marilyn Hershey, the owner of Ar-Joy Farms in Cochranville, stresses the importance of connecting with her community through its agricultural history and relationships that span generations in an article she authored for Hoard’s Dairyman, a national dairy farm magazine.

Quoting the television sitcom, Cheers, she said that Cochranville is “a place where everybody knows your name.”

With a single stoplight, two pizza places, a convenience store, a hair salon, a towing business, and a yard and tractor supply store, the “small town” is tightly knit. 

“Not only do the people in our neighborhood know our names, but they know where we live and what we do,” Hershey said. “We are connected in agriculture and the farming community.”  

As many of Cochranville’s families have lived there for generations, conversation is everything. Hershey discusses the effects of social media and how the small town focuses on maintaining relationships in person rather than online. 

She said she would not swap out her rural lifestyle with her husband, 500 dairy cows, and friendly neighbors for anything. 

“Wherever you milk your cows, make a good connection, and make sure you know your neighbor’s name,” she said. 

Read more about Marilyn Hershey in Hoard’s Dairyman.