Walter Shakespeare, one of the judges, said, “The contest began as a way of breaking the typical, yet undeserved, stereotype that the conventional farmer lacks rhyming skills.”

Winner Tom Riley agreed: “People hear ‘Old McDonald Had A Farm’ and figure that’s the best we can do. But there’s so much more in us.”

Although this is the first year Riley won the contest, he’s been submitting entries for 15 years.

“My big mistake was trying to write about my own farm,” he admitted. “It’s really hard to find words that rhyme with ‘apple.’ This year I decided to write about a dairy farm, and it seemed to work real well.”

Cow Love
by Tom Riley

The rooster crows,
The scarecrow knows.
And all the farm stands on its toes.
To watch the way that true love goes.

Bessie bats her lovely eyes.
She is a cow of ample size.
And Warren, to the crowd’s surprise,
Is enchanted by this stunning prize.

He moos at her, and she moos back.
This romance seems it’s right on track.
They barely see old Farmer Zack,
Or notice when ducks start to quack.

Bessie’s large, and Warren’s lean,
But she’s the best thing he’s ever seen.
They’ll graze outside in a romantic dream,
For Bessie is his dairy queen.