A full day of back-to-back challenges. One buzzer quiz. A whole lot of points to be scored. 

Pleasant Point young farmer Gareth McKerchar has his eyes on the prize, heading into this year’s Aorangi FMG Young Farmer of the Year Regional Final. 

The event, set to take place Saturday, March 29th at Ashburton A&P Showgrounds is a highlight on the rural calendar, with the competition boasting a strong track record of showcasing the very best talent and skills New Zealand’s food and fibre sector has to offer.

Throughout the day, McKerchar, along with his competitors, will face a series of tough challenges designed to test their practical skills, technical knowledge, and ability to handle pressure. 

An evening buzzer quiz will provide a final opportunity for them to score points, with the top competitor qualifying to represent the Aorangi region at July’s Grand Final in Invercargill.

Last year McKerchar claimed victory, a feat he’s looking to achieve two years running. 

“I’m preparing in a similar way but this year I’m able to reflect a bit more on the things that I found challenging last year. I'm still using my flash cards, but I'm focusing on improving my performance in the practical challenges as well as working on handling pressure better.

“To be able to compete in the Grand Final and represent my region again on the national stage would be a dream come true.”

McKerchar works as a Senior Agri Manager for Ravensdown, recommending fertiliser to farmers across Canterbury High-Country and the Waitaki Valley. He’s hoping his experience stands him in good stead for this year’s contest. 

“I’m pretty lucky with my job, I’m on farms every day and talking to different farmers. I’ve learnt there are so many ways to do things - no two farming systems are the same and everyone approaches it differently.

Joining the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Contestants at the Regional Finals are the next generation of Young Farmers, the primary-aged AgriKidsNZ and FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year Contestants. 

This year more than 90 primary school students and 50 high school students from the Aorangi region have thrown their hat in the ring. 

Aorangi Regional Final Co-Convenor Megan Maslin says this year's line-up of contestants is impressive. 

“It’s going to be a good, tough competition – something that spectators won’t want to miss out on. We’ve had a lot of fun brainstorming the challenges and coming up with some original ideas that really capture the unique flavour of farming in Canterbury and North Otago.”

The FMG Young Farmer of the Year contest is proudly supported by FMG, Ravensdown, Woolworths, Ministry for Primary Industries, Milwaukee, Honda, Lincoln University, Massey University, PTS Logistics, New Holland and Bushbuck.