http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/04/business/media/ann-marie-gardner-steps-down-as-editor-of-modern-farmer.html 2014-12-04 01:16:27 Ann Marie Gardner Steps Down as Editor of Modern Farmer Ms. Gardner founded the magazine in 2011. The publication, which glamorizes farming, has become one of the magazine industry’s biggest recent success stories. === Modern Farmer, a magazine that glamorizes farming and has become one of the magazine industry’s biggest recent success stories, has lost its founding editor. Ann Marie Gardner, the magazine’s editor in chief, told employees on Tuesday at its headquarters in Hudson, N.Y., that she was stepping down. She founded the magazine in 2011. Jessie Cohen, a spokeswoman for Modern Farmer, confirmed Ms. Gardner’s departure on Wednesday. Frank Giustra, the Canadian mining billionaire, former chairman of Lion’s Gate Entertainment and a close friend of Bill Clinton, will remain the magazine’s chief financial backer. A statement released by Ms. Cohen said, “Mr. Giustra remains committed to the Modern Farmer brand and Ms. Gardner’s vision, and to the high standard of reporting she carried out within Modern Farmer and on Modern Farmer represents one of the magazine industry’s biggest success stories in recent years. It published its first issue in April 2013 and won a coveted The magazine was the subject of a profile in The New Yorker in November that described it as “the stylish agrarian quarterly.” This fall, Ms. Gardner also appeared in In the early days, Mr. Giustra appeared to be an enthusiastic supporter of the magazine and even persuaded Mr. Clinton to agree to an interview. But last month’s New Yorker profile hinted at tensions between Ms. Gardner and Mr. Giustra. During the interviews for that article, Ms. Gardner told a reporter that their relationship had become so tense that “I was getting ready to call the moving van to pick up the furniture.” While the article said that the two appeared to have resolved their differences in August, it also said that by October, Mr. Giustra and Ms. Gardner once again were fighting about how Modern Farmer should be run. Mr. Giustra declined to comment through Ms. Cohen. Ms. Gardner did not respond to a call requesting a comment.