David Brandt, farmer behind viral ‘it’s honest work’ meme, dies in car crash

nypost.com:

the Associated Press reported.“It ain’t much, but it’s honest work,” the Ohioan said while describing his vocation.This simple statement became synonymous with traditional Midwestern values and work ethic, and resulted in the crop tender getting immortalized in a meme on Reddit in 2014.It featured a photo of Brandt standing in a field in denim overalls and a hat with his immortal phrase scrawled across the bottom.The farmer remained unaware of his internet stardom — or even what a meme was — until a bank teller showed him the iconic image on his phone.

A major proponent of soil conservation, Brandt became a fixture in the agricultural industry in 1971 after pioneering “no-till farming” — raising crops without disturbing the soil — as a way to save money.

This revolutionary crop-rearing method, which involved planting cover crops and creating a haven for invertebrates to foster soil health, helped reduce soil erosion as well as other environmental and climate benefits, the Lancaster Eagle Gazette reported.The practice also made Brandt an outlier in the farming world, which had become increasingly automated and reliant on chemicals.To date, the farmer is Ohio’s longest-term, no-till practitioner, according to Understanding Ag, a sustainable agriculture consulting company that he helped found.Along with being a trailblazer in the farming industry, Brandt also served in Vietnam as a member of the Marine Corps.

Needless to say, friends and fans were devastated over the crop whisperer’s loss.“You may know him from this now famous meme, but he was so much more than that,” wrote one bereaved fan.