The founder and editor-in-chief of Modern Farmer Anne Marie Gardner has stepped down from the magazine. According to Capital New York's sources, the abrupt departure likely has something to do with the tensions between Gardner and the magazine's investor Frank Giustra. Giustra had recently agreed to help keep the magazine afloat in exchange for more shares, but it was noted in November that the two were butting heads over the magazine's financials: Gardner believed that Modern Farmer needed more time to turn a profit, but Giustra wanted to see the money right away. The strain was documented in an in-depth profile in the New Yorker last month.
The magazine's problems came as a surprise to industry, as it had quickly become a media darling since being founded in 2013. After just three issues, it managed to win a National Magazine Award, a feat that no other magazine has accomplished so quickly. Gardener did not respond to Capital New York's requests for comment.