An Ohio farmer facing $1 million in medical debt hoped a solar lease would pay $540,000 a year

An Ohio farmer facing $1 million (£750,000) in medical bills had to sell land and farm machinery from his family farm after local officials blocked a solar energy project on his property. Wayne Greier, a sixth-generation farmer in Mahoning County, Ohio, planned to lease 600 acres of his farmland to a solar development company in 2021. The deal would have paid him $540,000 a year in lease payments, giving him a vital source of money as debt threatened his livelihood. "It was our saving grace," Greier told the Associated Press. "It wasn't a scary picture that everybody likes to paint about solar and the loss of farmland." The deal fell apart after township officials put local restrictions in place under a state law, stopping the renewable energy project from moving forward. Losing the income left Greier unable to keep his full farming operation running. He was forced to sell assets to pay growing debts and satisfy creditors.A medical crisis turned financial strainGreier’s financial problems began during a serious battle with COVID-19 and other health problems. According to Farm Progress, he spent 40 days in the hospital, had seven abdominal surgeries, and built up $1 million in medic...