Irvans drop lawsuit against Ambrose Family Farm

Wadmalaw Island farmer Pete Ambrose is relieved that former race car driver Ernie Irvan and his wife Kim dropped a lawsuit that he says could have put him out of business.

But he's not sure the matter is done.

The Irvans, who live next door to the Ambrose Family Farm, earlier this month filed a lawsuit against Pete Ambrose and his business, Rockland Avenue LLC. Ambrose owns and operates a 130-acre "community supported agriculture" farm, which is known as a CSA.

That's a type of farm where people purchase a "share" at the start of a growing season and then pick up a supply of fruits and vegetables each week.

Kim Irvan said today that she and her husband dropped the lawsuit, but they don't want to comment on the matter until next week.

She said earlier this month that she and her husband don't have any problem with Ambrose growing fruit and vegetables next door to their home and equestrian club. But they are tired of people of driving down the road to his farm that runs along the edge of their 49 acres to pick up their produce. And they've had enough of his U-pick berry operation in April and May, which has brought in as many as 60 cars in an hour. The cars are noisy and stir up dust, and Ambrose's customers have even wandered onto her land to pet her horses, she said.

The lawsuit would have left it to a judge to decide whether Ambrose's farm violated the covenants of the Selkirk Property Owners Association, of which Ambrose and the Irvans are members.

The association's covenants prohibit retail and commercial activities but allow generally accepted farming practices. The Irvans said selling shares and running a U-pick berry business are commercial activities; Ambrose said they are basic farm practices.

Ambrose said he thinks some members of the association want to shut him down because his fruit and vegetable farm is inconsistent with some of the high-end equestrian enterprises in the Selkirk.

Read more in Saturday's editions of The Post and Courier.