As the year comes to an end, we hope you will consider a donation to support the National Agricultural Aviation Research & Education Foundation (NAAREF) programs, which includes PAASS and Operation S.A.F.E. NAAREF programs were designed and are succeeding in promoting safety and environmental professionalism to the aerial application industry. Without successful NAAREF educational programs it’s unquestionable that the regulatory requirements facing us would be more rigorous.  

 

NAAREF programs save lives, enhance our industry’s reputation, enable insurance discounts, and help us meet regulatory requirements for certification. Since it first hit the stage in 1998, PAASS—the Professional Aerial Applicators’ Support System—has reduced our accidents by 26% and drift complaints by 26%. This is a phenomenal achievement and PAASS played a major role. 

 

It takes industry donations from individuals such as yourself to ensure top quality and effective NAAREF programs You can make a tax-deductible donation to NAAREF here.

 

Did you know that you can also make a donation directly from your retirement account to NAAREF? When you reach age 72*, you're required to withdraw a certain amount of money from your retirement accounts each year. Talk to your tax advisor for the most up-to-date information regarding a required minimum distribution (RMD) that you can donate to NAAREF. The RMD is an attractive way for donors to make a significant charitable gift directly from their IRA to a charity through a qualified charitable contribution (QCD) while avoiding taxable income. QCD is a direct transfer of funds from your IRA payable to a qualified charity, such as NAAREF. You can also bequeath charitable funds to NAAREF through your will or trust. Please talk to your financial advisor and/or legal consultant about these options.

 

With government support no longer available, we have lost 14% of the revenue needed to offer NAAREF programs. Pesticide manufacturing companies’ consolidation has also resulted in a loss of NAAREF sponsorship revenue.  We need to increase the amount of charitable donations from individuals and companies such as yourself in order to make up for the loss and to not suffer a reduction in quality of PAASS. 

 

Please donate now to help support NAAREF programs and cultivate education, safety, and technology advancements in the industry. They save lives, reduce drift incidents, demonstrate the professionalism of the aerial application industry, and can help stave off additional government regulations.