Large scale rice production in the state of Arkansas became a significant industry in the late 19th/early 20th century with its wide scale propagation within the state by entrepreneur W.H. Fuller around 1896.
A cubic yard of sand approximately weighs 1.3 tons, 2,600 pounds ,or (for non imperial people) 1,179.34 kilograms.
According to the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (60th Edition), a cubic foot of clay weighs 112 to 162 pounds. A cubic yard would weigh 27 times as much.