Jay Clark and his wife, Tammy Soma Clark, owners of Apples R Us Orchard & Distillery, are seen Sept. 26 in Rochester.
Photos by Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin
APPLE EXPANSION
Another orchard planned at Apples R Us in southeast Minnesota
By Theodore Tollefson | Rochester Post Bulletin ROCHESTER — Picking apples can be hard work. So, when Jay Clark decided he wanted to retire on an apple orchard, he knew he needed a way to keep the work manageable as he aged, and to keep the revenue coming after the apple picking was done. “When I designed the orchard I was 57. I knew we weren’t going to be climbing up ladders with picking baskets. I designed it so that I could do this in my 80s. It’s casual labor, and we’re the senior citizens crew here,” he said. At 69, Clark enjoys the early years of his retirement working for his wife, Tammy Soma Clark, at her apple orchard, Apples R Us Orchard & Distillery. Page 12 – November 2022 – West Central Tribune
Clark is not the only one in his 60s reaping the benefits of working for his wife’s apple orchard. The eight apple pickers who give their time are all 60 or older, with the exception of one. Clark moved onto the property in 1995 after leaving the oil business, and spent the next five years clearing out the property to build the Speed Shop, a custom automotive shop. He spent many years operating the shop and racing at Deer Creek Speedway outside Spring Valley. Clark is now retired from racing, but his wife still enjoys hitting the tracks every now and then during the summer.
