A Lowcountry Rice Tradition, Restored.
Along the coast of South Carolina, tidal rice once shaped the Lowcountry’s food and culture.
At White House Farms, we’re bringing that tradition back — growing heritage grains the way this land intended.
The Tidal Rice Tradition
The Craft of Tidal Rice Farming
Tidal rice is a rare way of farming that works with the coast instead of against it. Long before modern irrigation, Lowcountry farmers learned to use the ocean’s rhythm to flood and drain fields naturally.
Our fields are connected to tidal creeks through historic trunk gates. As the tide rises, water flows gently into the paddies. When it falls, the fields drain. This slow, natural cycle nourishes the rice, supports soil health, and creates a growing environment unlike anywhere else in the U.S.”
“It’s not just a method — it’s a tradition that shaped the Lowcountry’s identity. The taste, aroma, and texture of heritage Carolina rice come directly from this land and water.”
Tidal rice isn’t a replica of the past — it’s a living system that produces rice with real terroir.
Tidal rice cultivation takes root along South Carolina’s coast, shaping cuisine, economy, and daily life in the region.
Lowcountry rice becomes internationally prized. The tidal-field system produces grains known for aroma, texture, and terroir.
After the Civil War, labor shifts, storms, and changing agriculture cause tidal rice farming to decline across the region.
For generations, these historic fields sat mostly dormant — a landscape full of memory, waiting for restoration.
White House Farms reclaims and repairs the tidal system, honoring the past while rebuilding for the future.
We’re proud to be one of the few remaining tidal rice farms in the country, growing Charleston Gold and other heritage varieties for modern tables.
Honoring the Past
Honoring the People Who Built This Tradition
Tidal rice farming was shaped through generations of knowledge, skill, and labor — much of it carried by enslaved West African people whose agricultural expertise made Carolina rice possible.
We carry this history with humility. Restoring these fields means honoring both the land and the people who worked it, and recognizing the cultural roots that gave Lowcountry rice its place in American food heritage.
Today, our work is guided by preservation: of the fields, the seeds, and the stories that belong to this place.
Preservation is respect in action.
2011: Bringing Fields Back to Life
Restoring a Working Landscape
When our family took stewardship of White House Farms, we didn’t inherit a modern rice operation. We inherited history — tidal fields that had fed communities for centuries, but had fallen quiet.
Restoring them meant rebuilding the tidal system piece by piece: repairing gates, clearing canals, and learning again how to farm in rhythm with the coast.
It was equal parts archaeology and agriculture. Every step brought the fields closer to what they were built to do: grow rice that belongs to the Lowcountry.
Today, each harvest is both a celebration and a continuation — proof that this tradition still has a place at the table.
Taste the Tradition.
Our heritage rice isn’t inspired by history — it is history, grown again. Explore our varieties and bring a piece of the Lowcountry to your table.
