Ohio Farmer Dave Brandt Of 'It Ain't Much But It's Honest Work' Meme Passes Away Following Auto Accident

Ohio man Dave Brandt, who became the Internet meme face of "It Aint Much But It's Honest Work" fame, passed away Sunday.

Brandt, 76, died due to injuries sustained after an auto accident that happened last Thursday in Illinois.

The Carroll, Ohio farmer shot to Internet fame in 2018 when a Reddit user created the meme out of the photo of Carroll on his farm that accompanied a story published in 2014 by the United States Department of Agriculture. After three weeks of dominating Reddit, the "But it's honest work" meme was officially a huge success and Carroll was popping up all over social media.

In real-life, he was considered something of a farming legend.

Ohio's Country Journal calls Brandt a "global cultural phenomenon" who was a rockstar within the farming industry for his no-till, cover crops and he traveled the world sharing the gospel on soil health and what separated his farm from others.

"Brandt was a Vietnam veteran who returned home to farm in the late 1960s, but soon after his return, Brandt’s father died in a farming accident. He and his wife, Kendra (who passed away in 2020), were forced to sell the farm and start over with very little equipment," Ohio's Country Joural wrote in its obit for the legend.

Since Brandt was broke, he used a no-till method to save costs and in turn he increased soil organic matter, reduced costs and became a star.

At the time of his death, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), estimates Dave was farming around 1,150 acres.

In January, after winning a "Soil Legacy Award," Dave Brandt deflected the credit.

"I just plant the seed," he told the audience.