The first-time competitor is one of seven regional finalists to contest the final at Hamilton in July, with some of the regional competitions yet to play out.
He was happy with his performance in the two-day Aorangi regional final.
"I’m stoked to get the win, my goal was to take out the trophy and earn a spot at the grand final. I had been studying in the lead-up to the weekend and gave it all I had, so it’s satisfying to see hard work paying off."
The agri-manager at fertiliser co-operative Ravensdown serves the Waitaki Valley, Omarama and Twizel area.
He made his debut in the competition after joining the Pleasant Point Young Farmers Club last year.
Among the events was the Farmlet challenge, with contestants crafting a miniature farm setup. They had to put up fencing, swing a gate, plumb a trough and k-line irrigator and plant a shelter belt.
"I really enjoyed the Farmlet challenge — it meant you could slow down and focus on producing work that you knew you were good at," he said.
After seeing his name on the top of the leaderboard going into the night’s buzzer quiz, he took a cautious approach, aiming to safeguard his position.
"Seeing my name at the top was motivating, but one wrong answer reminded me to tread carefully. I wasn’t sure how far behind Sam was, so I opted to play it safe."
Runner-up Samuel Allen is also a member of the Pleasant Point Young Farmers club, and made his debut in the competition.
Mr McKerchar plans on using his network of friends, family and advisers to increase his skill set and knowledge in the lead-up to the final.
"It’d be great to visit the Waikato Bay of Plenty region and brush up on my knowledge of the area. It’s a diverse region so we could be tested on anything. I’m lucky to have a strong network around me and I’ve already had offers of people keen to help me prep."
For the third year in a row, James Clark and Jack Foster, of Mount Hutt College, won the Junior Young Farmer of the Year title. Second were Ella Hole and Shelby Henson, of Geraldine High School.
The Duntroon School team, made up of Leah Wilson, Olivia Strachan and Greer Neal, were the Aorangi AgriKidsNZ champions. Runners-up were George Lash, Edward White and Henry Pottinger, of Longbeach School, and Jack France, Arthur Redfern and Henry Phillips, of Waihi School.
New Zealand Young Farmers chief executive Lynda Coppersmith said the grand final for the three events was shaping up to be one of the best yet.
