AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
There are things to ponder in this world and questions that have no answers. But if you're wondering, what does it take to be the sexiest collard farmer in North Carolina, we've got you covered.
LEE BERRY: Well, the submission last year was just basically a hat. And I held a collard in front of me, one big collard.
RASCOE: OK, now you know. That's Lee Berry, owner of the Berry Patch in Ellerbe. He's also known as North Carolina's sexiest collard farmer of 2023. His submission picture from last year is kind of spicy. There he is, facing the sun, red cap, beard, a big smile, nothing else but the leaves of that big old collard.
BERRY: And it covered probably 40% of my body, maybe 50%. You could actually see my bare feet standing in the field.
RASCOE: Berry's wife, Amy, didn't just encourage him to enter the contest held by the website The State You're In. She took the photo. They hoped the attention would bring in more customers, and it worked.
BERRY: The couple weeks after the contest, we had a lot of people drive up just to buy collards. We live about a hour away from a lot of big cities, so we got people coming in just to buy collards from the sexy collard farmer.
RASCOE: So Lee Berry is entering the competition again this year. How is he upping his game?
BERRY: I actually just have a handful of collard leaves over my groin (laughter). Arms are out in the air with my crown on, holding two massive collards in the air.
RASCOE: So, wait, wait, wait. If his arms are out, exactly how are those collard leaves staying in place?
BERRY: Taped by the wife.
RASCOE: You go, Amy, but be gentle. As for the other competitors, Lee Berry has this advice.
BERRY: Don't be shy (laughter). Submitting the photo isn't that big of a deal. It's what kind of following you're going to have in order to get your votes.
RASCOE: Lee Berry doesn't have to worry about popularity. Besides his collard crop in Ellerbe, he also runs an ice cream shop out of a building that's hard to miss.
BERRY: Twenty-five-foot tall strawberry-shaped building - world's largest strawberry.
RASCOE: So maybe when North Carolina hosts a sexiest strawberry farmer competition, Lee Berry can submit there, too. He might want to use the biggest berries he can grow. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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