Dave Brandt, the Ohio farmer known internationally for the “It ain’t much, but it’s honest work” internet meme, died in Urbana after sustaining injuries in a truck accident.

The farmer was driving back to his farm in Ohio after picking up corn in Illinois when his truck crashed in Champaign on Thursday. He was then taken to Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana where he died early Sunday morning. 

Brandt, a farmer known in his community as the “godfather of soil health,”was featured in a 2014 article highlighting his farming techniques by the United States Department of Agriculture. A picture of Brandt accompanied the article.

Four years after the publication of USDA’s article, a Reddit user added the caption “it ain’t much, but it’s honest work” to the photo of Brandt — and the rest was history.

According to a statement by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Terry Cosby, Brandt was “a dedicated conservationist, a pioneer and an advocate among farmers for important practices like no-till, cover crops and nutrient management.”

Brandt helped to found a regenerative agricultural consulting company in 2018 called Understanding Ag. According to a statement by the firm following Brandt’s passing, “his ability to entertain while educating was unparalleled, making people laugh even while questioning the way they farmed. He was truly a joy to listen to.”

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