Wellard To Sponsor USA 2012 National ISDE Team

PERTH, Australia, July 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Wellard Rural Exports ("Wellard") is proud to announce it will assist with sponsorship of 31 Team USA riders competing at the 2012 International Six Day Enduro (ISDE) in Saxony, Germany.

Top U.S. Enduro riders Russell Bobbitt, Mike Brown, Kurt Caselli, Robert Garrison, Charlie Mullins and Taylor Robert have been selected by the AMA (American Motorcycle Association) as their National senior trophy team and will wear the Wellard logo on their jersey as part of the support agreement.

A three rider Wellard Club Team consisting of Fred Hoess, Johnny Barber and Jordan Brandt will also receive direct support from Wellard in an attempt to win the World Club Team Cup at the ISDE.

Described as the Olympics of offroad, motorcycle racing, the German ISDE has attracted 500 from 34 countries to compete this year, and will be held in Central and West Saxony Germany from the 24th to 29th September.

Wellard Chairman Mauro Balzarini said Wellard was delighted to continue its long established association with the ISDE by this year sponsoring the American International Six Days Enduro teams. The Wellard team has become a regular participant in the ISDE and it offers Wellard a great exposure for its brand.

Wellard will also provide additional sponsorship to one of the Teams to again compete for the World Club Team Cup.

"Wellard prides itself on its philosophy of passion, commitment and the courage to innovate. These attributes are inherent in the riders who will compete at the 2012 event. Wellard has been expanding its operations in the USA and aims to become a significant player in that market, so everyone is extremely excited to join with the US for the most important motorcycle Enduro race in the world," Mr Balzarini said.

Wellard has been supporting ISDE riders since 2007 with great success. Last year in Finland, their New Zealand sponsored team placed third in the World Club Team division beating 60 other countries. One member of the three rider NZ team, sheep farmer Adrian Smith, also won the C1 category outright at the 2011 event aboard his Yamaha YZ250F.

Wellard Rural Exports is the world's largest livestock exporter and throughout the United States it exports and ships dairy and beef cattle to a number of emerging markets rebuilding their cattle herds.

The cattle are transported on purpose built, state of the art livestock vessels with superior feed, water and ventilation systems, and are cared for by experienced stock men and women along with a dedicated on-board crew.

Background – Wellard Rural and Trading

Wellard is a world leader in the production and distribution of livestock and grain.

Its two largest subsidiaries are Wellard Rural Exports, Australia's largest livestock exporter and ship owner, and Wellard Agri, a large mixed farming land owner and operator specialising in the production of grains, legumes and livestock.

Wellard Rural Exports has supplied quality dairy and beef cattle and sheep and goats to the world for more than 30 years, its investment in the live export industry is without peer.  Based in Fremantle, Western Australia, the company's operations cover every aspect of the export chain, including feed milling, livestock aggregation, road transport, feedlot facilities throughout Australia and modern shipping.

The company's flagship carrier, the MV Ocean Drover (formerly the MV Becrux), is a purpose-built livestock carrier capable of carrying 75,000 sheep or 18,000 cattle to major markets around the globe.  She was commissioned in 2002.

Two new, technologically advanced, purpose-built vessels, the MV Ocean Swagman and the MV Ocean Outback, were launched in 2010. They offer unparalleled levels of safety for the livestock, crew and vessel, and can transport 7000 cattle, 25,000 sheep, or a combination of both.

Wellard Agri owns and operates eight farms covering 33,000 hectares across three agri-hubs. The two northern hubs are located at Dongara and Watheroo in Western Australia's central midlands and one is located at Kojonup in the Great Southern region of WA.

The Dongara hub is home to The Grange, a 14,500 hectare property which is considered one of Western Australia's blue chip farming properties.

The remaining landholding totals more than 18,000 hectares, of which 14,000 hectares is cropped to a variety of grains and legumes. The other 4000ha is devoted to sheep production, including the famous Hyfield Poll Merino stud at Kojonup. In addition, Wellard leases an additional 14,500ha for livestock and grain production.

Wellard Agri also has operations in the farm machinery sector, through management of the CLAAS Harvest Centres at Katanning and Esperance for the Landpower range of farm machinery.

Visit www.wellard.com.au

SOURCE Wellard Rural Exports