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Ellie Abraham
May 22, 2023
Reddit/MemeEconomy
Reddit/r/MemeEconomy
The farmer from the “It Ain't Much, But It's Honest Work” meme has died and the internet is mourning his passing.
Farmer Dave Brandt rose to prominence in 2014 thanks to the online meme that featured a picture of him with the caption: “It ain’t much, but it’s honest work.”
The image of Brandt, an Ohio farmer and “soil health pioneer”, originally came from a United States Department of Agriculture article but it wasn’t until 2018 that the image became a meme with the added caption.
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It became a meme when it was posted on a Reddit channel about meme culture, as part of a joke about original content being stolen and gaining thousands of upvotes.
Now, the internet has been left bereft after learning that Brandt died suddenly after sustaining significant injuries in an accident on Saturday 20 May after reportedly being “ejected from his truck”, according to the Ohio NoTill Council.
\u201cDave Brandt,the guy from the "It's honest work"meme died today in a vehicle accident. RIP\u201d— \ud835\ude0b\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude3a\ud83d\udc8d\ud835\ude1e\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude27\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude17\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude35 (@\ud835\ude0b\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude2d\ud835\ude3a\ud83d\udc8d\ud835\ude1e\ud835\ude22\ud835\ude2a\ud835\ude27\ud835\ude36\ud835\ude17\ud835\ude30\ud835\ude34\ud835\ude35) 1684700625
As well as being mourned by the online community, Brandt’s passing has also hit the farming community hard.
He was considered a “pioneer” in soil health and was a leading researcher in no-till farming methods that allow farming without damaging the soil.
One mourner tweeted: “David Brandt changed the world by simply farming his little piece of land in Ohio and telling all who were open to hear about it.”
\u201cDave is no more. A farmer, a trail blazer, a teacher, a mentor, a philosopher, an inspiration to us all, a father of Regen Ag. and a meme, of course. David Brandt changed the world by simply farming his little piece of land in Ohio and telling all who were open to hear about it.\u201d— Lyudochka (@Lyudochka) 1684690405
Another wrote: “Your honest work on earth is done. Rest In Peace, sir.”
\u201cMore sad news. \ud83e\udd7a Dave Brandt, the Ohio farmer best known to most of us from the "But it's honest work" meme, has passed away following a vehicle accident.\n\nYour honest work on earth is done. Rest In Peace, sir. \ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffc\ud83e\udd0d\u201d— \u2618\ufe0f\ud835\udd43\ud835\udd66\ud835\udd54\ud835\udd5c\ud835\udd6a \u0191\u0289\u036bc\u0367\u043a\u036d\u03b9\u036a\u03b7\u0363 \ud835\udd44\ud835\udd54\ud835\udd3e\ud835\udd56\ud835\udd56\u200e (@\u2618\ufe0f\ud835\udd43\ud835\udd66\ud835\udd54\ud835\udd5c\ud835\udd6a \u0191\u0289\u036bc\u0367\u043a\u036d\u03b9\u036a\u03b7\u0363 \ud835\udd44\ud835\udd54\ud835\udd3e\ud835\udd56\ud835\udd56\u200e) 1684716845
“Rest in Peace, Dave Brandt. One of the pioneers of no-till farming,” tweeted another.
\u201cRest in Peace, Dave Brandt. One of the pioneers of no-till farming. \ud83d\ude4f\u201d— Shudra H Way \u2626 (@Shudra H Way \u2626) 1684757548
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