From surviving death to thriving on farm

This story appeared in the spring 2026 edition of Roots magazine, a collaborative agriculture publication by the Sandusky Register, Norwalk Reflector, Tiffin Advertiser-Tribune, Findlay Courier and Fostoria Review-Times. WILLARD — Because of his strong family footing paired with unwavering dedication and passion for the craft, Nathan Giles believes he has a leg up on many, especially counterparts and competitors. "I've been told I do more on one leg than most people do on two," Nathan said. "Losing my leg didn't slow me down. If anything, it made me more focused." Nathan represents the youngest in a fifth-generation, Willard-area farming family known as Giles Farm, renowned for producing cattle. During the past decade, he's not only maintained his heritage's rich local history but expanded Giles Farms' public reach. This would include opening a business in Willard, Giles Meats, as well as an accompanying food truck that travels to area festivals. "Life has been very good lately," Nathan said. "We have a lot of big things coming in the future that will be for the public and our customers. I'm very excited, and I'm grateful." Nathan expressed his appreciation for this moment in life. He then reflected, considering that, just a few years ago, a "freak accident" nearly robbed him of these successes and his life's passion. Surviving a tragedy In 2018, Nathan survived a near-death experience in which the corn head of a combine swallowed one of his legs. Today he has a prosthetic leg in place of his right leg. "I had just turned 20 years old and lost my leg, and that would have been the first year I would have farmed on my own," Nathan said. "I was just helping a neighbor in Willard get things finished with things at the end of the year. The combine just kicked on accidentally. It was just a freak accident." Before first responders arrived, Nathan experienced a severe amount of blood loss. He likely saved himself from death by using his belt and applying a tourniquet. "The paramedics and doctors afterward believed that I kept enough blood in me," said Nathan, noting he lost about 6 units of blood. The average human adult has anywhere from 10 to 12 units of blood in the body. When first responders arrived on scene, it took them about 90 minutes — along with four sets of the Jaws of Life — to free Nathan, who remained conscious during this entire time. "They amputated me 4 inches below my knee," said Nathan, who was flown to a Toledo-area hospital. "I battled infections, probably three weeks in total, while in the ICU." During his hospital stay and subsequent rehabilitation, Nathan contemplated his next steps in life. "This was supposed to be my first year of farming on my own, and that all came crashing down," he said. "'I just kept thinking, what am I going to do now. Will I ever walk again? Is my life over?'" Rather than bemoan his bad luck, Nathan decided to begin his rehabilitation with an optimistic outlook on life, determined to walk again on one leg. "I met with my prosthetic doctor, and we worked on a plan that, in about seven months, I was able to get back up, relearn to walk and get back to some normalcy," said Nathan, noting he progressed so quickly due to unwavering commitment to therapy, which, quite often, involved two rehab sessions in one day. During the entire rehabilitation process, Nathan steadfastly focused all his energy and efforts so that, one day, he could return to his family farm. "Recovery wasn't easy," Nathan said. "But the hard days are what build you. If you are willing to push through them, better days come." And Nathan, about a year after experiencing the injury, came back to farming at Giles Farm on a full-time basis — nothing short of a miracle, doctors said. Since then and through the present day, he remains driven to elevate Giles Farm into a new era while always respecting his family's 90-plus-year farming roots. "Every day, I'm still right here, working hard for a product I love," Nathan said. "If you are not moving forward, you are dying. Before this, I never had any experience with running a retail business, but it's worked out well so far." Many people admire Nathan's work ethic and attitude in life. This would include Ethan Wilhelm, a friend of Nathan's and Giles Meats' marketing manager. "I honestly had no idea that he didn't have a leg until we got into business together and started talking about it," Wilhlem said. "That shows his character: He is not going to let something like that deter him from accomplishing everything he needs to do. He has that drive and perseverance that clearly speaks for himself, and it speaks with his farm and Giles Meats." More on Giles Meats Nathan Giles loves farming but hates what corporate America keeps doing to his family's livelihood. "The entire industry has so many problems, and they're not for the farmers," Nathan said. "At the end of the day, I am a farmer first. That perspective shapes everything we do." To counteract the longstanding negative trends of substandard meat industry practices, Nathan recently opened his own meat market and food truck. Known as Giles Meats, both the market and food truck serve customers in a farm-to-table/direct-to-consumer method by cutting out an unneeded middleman, said Nathan, who serves as its owner. The philosophy plays into Giles Meats' slogan: "a cut against the grain." "We are taking a cut against the grain against the entire corporate industry, exposing the problems of the meat industry in terms of why the American farmer is dwindling and starving," said Nathan, underscoring problems occurring throughout the agriculture sector with the import-export system, preservatives and, simply put, corporate greed. "By going to this direct-to-consumer model, consumers can maximize their dollar and receive the fresh products while helping to ensure a future for the legacy of farming instead of backing the legacy of a corporate company," Nathan said. Whether at the market or food truck, all beef — the market/food truck's primary product — comes from Giles' family farm, located just 1 mile from its market. Hundreds of Angus cattle roam the 1,000-acre-plus property. It's the same farm maintained and worked on by Nathan's: • Great-great-grandfather Wesley, beginning in 1935 • Great-grandfather Virgil • Grandfather John • Father Scott "My family has taught me to always have a superior quality, and that's done through superior cattle," Nathan said. "We breed the cattle to make sure we have the most high-end quality of marbling and rate of gain, which is the ability of the animals to grow as efficiently as possible." He then pointed toward a mantra of Giles Meats: "From pasture to plate, there's no long haul, no mystery: just local beef, raised right and served up the way it should be." Giles Meats serves steaks in styles of ribeyes, T-bones and porterhouses as well as patties for burgers. It also offers some pork and chicken as well as other products from neighboring farms. And what further separates Giles Meats from other places selling meat, like grocery market chains, is its flash-frozen process. "All of our meat is flash frozen and priced by the pack, not by the pound," a statement read. "Flash freezing locks in peak freshness, so when you thaw it, it's often fresher than what's labeled 'fresh' at the store." Wilhelm is among the biggest fans of the products. "It's such a better process," Ethan said about the flash-frozen method. "It locks in the nutrients and flavors so, when you do thaw it out, you can taste and smell the difference. A lot of people say, 'It tastes like the beef when they had it as a kid' without all the preservatives added into it." Many people are getting their first exposure to Giles Meats through a food truck, which first rolled out to community events — like the Huron County Fair and the Milan Melon Festival — within the recent past. It mainly serves burgers but also incorporates the beef into items like Philly wraps, tacos and other specials. "We are getting a lot of good support, and the backing we've gotten from people, who are now beginning to understand our process and our brand, has been great," Nathan said. In the near future, Nathan wants to make Giles Meats' products available online, so people, locally or not, can receive their products shipped directly to their front doors. "This truly is a passion project of mine," Nathan said. Nathan and his team welcome people to give Giles Meats a try. The market, 2561 Ohio 103, Willard, is open Wednesdays through Saturdays, and people can receive updates on its food truck's whereabouts by visiting Facebook and searching for "Giles Meats." "Just taste the difference for yourself," Nathan said. "The taste and quality of our meat is what sets us apart from everyone else."