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.
RE: weight in tonnes of one cubic yard. typical weight of moist soil is 110 pounds per cubic foot (plus or minus 10 pcf). There are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard, so a cubic yard would weigh 2,970 pounds plus or minus 270 pounds. Hope this helps in conjunction with the posts of others. . . . .