Almost 40 years ago the neighboring farm paid its help the bare minimum...otherwise they’d be over the limit and wouldn’t be able to get welfare benefits. This was the first time I’d heard of such a thing and when I nosed around a bit I found it was a well-known practice. Taxpayers have been subsidizing private business for years.
That is also why some groups oppose the $15/hour minimum wage - they don’t want to be priced out of some freebies (which are lost at various income levels for different types).