The Washington Apple Education Foundation, WAEF, announced in a news release the start of an online auction for a Rears Powerblast Sprayer. Bidding opens Tuesday, Dec. 1 and closes at noon Dec. 9.

For the past 25 years, Rears Manufacturing has donated an orchard sprayer to WAEF, according to the release, and the foundation has offered the sprayer in a raffle held during the Washington State Tree Fruit Association Annual Meeting each December. Because this year’s annual meeting will be held virtually, the sprayer is instead available to bidders in a silent online auction.

The sprayer is a Rears 400-gallon TTN profile airblast sprayer. Specifications and details are posted at www.waef.org/event/auction.

To bid, interested parties can email their current bid to events@waef.org or call (509) 663-7713. The current top bid will be updated regularly at www.waef.org/event/auction starting Dec. 1 until the auction concludes at 12 p.m. on Dec.9. The winning bidder will be announced during the annual meeting.

Funds from the sprayer auction benefit students raised in Central Washington tree fruit communities. Annually WAEF awards over $1 million in scholarships to college students. This year, more than 300 students are attending college with WAEF scholarships.

—by Jonelle Mejica